UV-induced mitotic co-segregation of genetic markers in Candida albicans: Evidence for linkage

Parasexual genetic studies of the medically important yeast Candida albicans were performed using the method of UV-induced mitotic segregation. UV-irradiation of the Hoffmann-La Roche type culture of C. albicans yielded a limited spectrum of mutants at a relatively high fequency. This observation suggested natural heterozygosity. Canavanine-sensitive (CanS) segregants were induced at a frequency of 7.6 . 10-3. Double mutants that were both CanS and methionine (Met-) auxotrophs were induced at a frequency of 7.4 . 10-3. The single Met- segregant class was missing indicating linkage. UV-induced CanS or Met-CanS segregants occurred occasionally in twin-sectored colonies. Analyses of the sectors as well as the observed and missing classes of segregants indicated that genes met and can are linked in the cis configuration. The proposed gene order is: centromere - met - can. Thus, it is concluded that the Hoffmann-La Roche strain of C. albicans is naturally heterozygous at two linked loci. These findings are consistent with diploidy. (orig.)