Tetrahymena thermophila genetics: concepts and applications.

The differentiation of germline and somatic genomes in Tetrahymena thermophila results in two independent systems of genetic transmission. One is the conserved, sexual Mendelian genetics system of the germline genome. The other is a random genetic assortment mechanism, which operates in the somatic genome during asexual propagation. This chapter describes both systems, their interplay, and how they are exploited to construct useful biological reagents and powerful tools, which can be used to answer a variety of experimental questions.