Genetic homology between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its sibling species S. paradoxus and S. bayanus: electrophoretic karyotypes.

Chromosomal DNAs of many monosporic strains of the biological species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. paradoxus and S. bayanus were analysed using contour-clamped homogeneous electric field electrophoresis. Southern blot hybridization with eight cloned S. cerevisiae genes (ADC1, CUP1, GAL4, LEU2, rDNA, SUC2, TRP1 and URA3) assigned to different chromosomes was used to study homology and chromosomal location of the genes in the three sibling species. A comparative study of Ty1, Ty2 and telomere-associated Y' sequences having multiple chromosomal location was also done. Chromosome length polymorphism was found in cultured strains of S. cerevisiae. Wild S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus strains yielded chromosome banding patterns very similar to each other. The karyotype pattern of S. bayanus was readily distinguishable from that of S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus. Southern blot analysis revealed a low degree of homology between the S. cerevisiae genes studied and the corresponding S. paradoxus and S. bayanus genes. The number of chromosomes appears to be 16 in all three species.