Biomaterial Database

Mutational analysis of centromeric DNA elements of Kluyveromyces lactis and their role in determining the species specificity of the highly homologous centromeres from K. lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 1994

J J Heus, and B J Zonneveld, and H Y Steensma, and J A Van den Berg

Clusius Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.

The centromere of Kluyveromyces lactis was delimited to a region of approximately 280 bp, encompassing KlCDEI, II, and III. Removal of 6 bp from the right side of KlCDEIII plus flanking sequences abolished centromere function, and removal of 5 bp of KlCDEI and flanking sequences resulted in strongly reduced centromere function. Deletions of 20-80 bp from KlCDEII resulted in a decrease in plasmid stability, indicating that KlCDEII must have a certain length for proper centromere function. Centromeres of K. lactis do not function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and vice versa. Adapting the length of KlCDEII to that of ScCDEII did not improve KlCEN function in S. cerevisiae, while doubling the ScCDEII length did not improve ScCEN function in K. lactis. Thus the difference in CDEII length is not in itself responsible for the species specificity of the centromeres from each of the two species of budding yeast. A chimeric K. lactis centromere with ScCDEIII instead of KlCDEIII was no longer functional in K. lactis, but did improve plasmid stability in S. cerevisiae, although to a much lower level than a wild-type ScCEN. This indicates that the exact CDEIII sequence is important, and suggests that the flanking AT-rich CDEII has to conform to specific sequence requirements.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007716	Kluyveromyces	An ascomycetous yeast of the fungal family Saccharomycetaceae, order SACCHAROMYCETALES.	Kluyveromyce
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D002503	Centromere	The clear constricted portion of the chromosome at which the chromatids are joined and by which the chromosome is attached to the spindle during cell division.	Centromeres
D004252	DNA Mutational Analysis	Biochemical identification of mutational changes in a nucleotide sequence.	Mutational Analysis, DNA,Analysis, DNA Mutational,Analyses, DNA Mutational,DNA Mutational Analyses,Mutational Analyses, DNA
D004271	DNA, Fungal	Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of fungi.	Fungal DNA
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D012441	Saccharomyces cerevisiae	A species of the genus SACCHAROMYCES, family Saccharomycetaceae, order Saccharomycetales, known as "baker's" or "brewer's" yeast. The dried form is used as a dietary supplement.	Baker's Yeast,Brewer's Yeast,Candida robusta,S. cerevisiae,Saccharomyces capensis,Saccharomyces italicus,Saccharomyces oviformis,Saccharomyces uvarum var. melibiosus,Yeast, Baker's,Yeast, Brewer's,Baker Yeast,S cerevisiae,Baker's Yeasts,Yeast, Baker
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species