Polymorphisms in tandemly repeated sequences of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA

Detection, distribution and selection of microsatellites (SSRs) in the genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as molecular markers

AIMS

The aim of this work was the selection of six polymorphic microsatellite loci for their use as molecular markers in the identification, typification and genetic differentiation of S. cerevisiae strains.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The selection was undertaken following a search of the genomic DNA database of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for simple tandem repeat sequences (microsatellites) of di- and trinucleotides. The genetic variability generated by these markers was evaluated in 51 isolates. The discriminatory power produced by combining the information obtained by the six microsatellites was very high. A total of 57 alleles, which generated 44 genotypes, were found.

CONCLUSIONS, SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The multiple analysis of microsatellites proved to be a powerful and agile tool for analysing the genome of S. cerevisiae populations.

Polymorphism of 2-microns plasmids in industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses of industrial Saccharomyces yeast DNA have identified eight 2-microns plasmid variants that fall into two distinct types. Type-I plasmids are of unique form, whereas type-II plasmids exist in seven distinct RFLP forms. Only two different 2-microns variants were observed in 35 bakers' strains analysed. One variant was the unique type-I whereas the second variant represents an ancestral form of the type-II plasmid. Sixteen of nineteen wine yeasts carried a distinctive type-II plasmid with a homologous STB repeat whereas ale and lager yeasts had a wide range of type-II variants. Relative to nuclear and mtDNA, 2-microns polymorphism is less diverse and not diagnostic for a specific strain. This 2-microns DNA polymorphism is a convenient and useful addendum to nuclear and mtDNA RFLP analyses but cannot serve as the sole marker for strain identification. A tentative phylogeny of industrial S. cerevisiae yeasts is suggested with origins in bakers' yeast carrying the ancestral type-II form.

Sequence rearrangements at the ori 7 region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA

Three ori elements (ori 2, ori 5, and ori 7) have been sequenced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Dip 2 and compared to the equivalent ori elements of a second strain (B). Both ori 2 and ori 5 exhibit 98% base matching between strains Dip 2 and B. In contrast, the third ori element (ori 7) exhibits extensive sequence rearrangements whereby a segment located downstream in the consensus strain occurs within the ori structure in Dip 2. This represents a novel polymorphic form of the yeast mitochondrial genome.