Molecular characterization and application of random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of Mrakia and Sterigmatomyces species.

The qualitative and quantitative monosaccharide spectra of purified yeast cell walls revealed that there are three phylogenetically distinct lineages of sterigma-forming basidiomycetous yeasts: (i) Kurtzmanomyces and Sterigmatomyces species, which contain high levels of mannose; (ii) Tilletiopsis species, which contain glucose, galactose, and small amounts of mannose; and (iii) Fellomyces, Kockovaella, Sterigmatosporidium, and Tsuchiyaea species, which appear to be closely related on the basis of their high levels of glucose and the presence of xylose. The yeast cell wall neutral sugars of Sporobolomyces antarcticus and Sterigmatomyces aphidis were similar to those of members of the genus Tilletiopsis. However, the possibility that these taxa are conspecific was eliminated by the results of a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The conspecificity of Mrakia frigida and Mrakia nivalis, the conspecificity of Mrakia gelida and Mrakia stokesii, and the conspecificity of Sterigmatomyces halophilus and Sterigmatomyces indicus were confirmed by RAPD analysis results. RAPD analysis was found to be a simple and highly sensitive method which can be used to differentiate species at the DNA level; it can replace nuclear DNA-nuclear DNA hybridization experiments for species identification, characterization, and delimitation.