title: Intra-species chromosome-length polymorphism in Geotrichum candidum revealed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.
abstract: Geotrichum candidum is an ascomycetous anamorph yeast-like fungus found in various habitats. It is a component of the natural flora of milk and is used as a maturing agent for both soft and hard cheeses. This microorganism displays phenotypic variability and may act as an opportunist pathogen, causing geotrichosis. Cytological analysis of G. candidum strain ATCC 204307 showed this strain to have eight chromosomes. We prepared chromosomal DNA from 13 strains of G. candidum differing in habitat and morphotype. We used pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in two sets of conditions to determine the size of the chromosomal DNA molecules. The strains investigated had five to eight chromosomes, 0.6 to 4.5 Mb in size. We estimated genome size in these 13 strains to be between 11 and 19 Mb. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles showed a high degree of polymorphism, indicating considerable variability between strains. Genome size and the presence of large chromosomes appeared to be correlated with morphotype. Strains with a mold-like or intermediate morphotype tended to have larger genomes than strains with a yeast-like morphotype did.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Microbiologie Alimentaire EA 3213, USC INRA, Institut de Biochimie et Biologie Appliquée, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Caen, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gente
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Desmasures
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jacopin
authors.forename: Ghislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Plessis
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beliard
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Panoff
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guéguen
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005848:Geotrichum / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial