title: Unusually large telomeric repeats in the yeast Candida albicans.
abstract: We have identified sequences at the telomeres of the yeast Candida albicans and have found that they are composed of tandem copies of a 23-bp sequence. Through the cloning of native telomeric ends and the characterization and cloning of a "healed" end, we demonstrate that these repeated sequences are sufficient to function as a telomere. All copies of the 23-bp repeat that have been sequenced from a number of C. albicans strains are identical. In contrast, adjacent subtelomeric sequences are variable both between strains and within the WO-1 strain. In the WO-1 strain, the lengths of the telomeres are dependent upon growth temperature and are substantially longer at higher temperatures. Telomere growth is accompanied by increases in the number of the 23-bp repeats present on the telomeric fragments. These results suggest that either telomerase-maintained telomeres can be more complex in structure than was previously imagined or that Candida telomeres are maintained via a telomerase-independent mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Research Institute of Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, California 92037.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McEachern
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Hicks
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D016615:Telomere; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal