The genomic constitution of different S. bayanus strains and natural interspecific Saccharomyces hybrids has been studied by genetic and molecular methods. Unlike S. bayanus var. uvarum, some S. bayanus var. bayanus strains (the type culture CBS 380, CBS 378, CBS 425, CBS 1548) harbour a number of S. cerevisiae subtelomeric sequences: Y', pEL50, SUC, RTM and MAL. The two varieties, having 86-100% nDNA-nDNA reassociation, are partly genetically isolated from one another but completely isolated from S. cerevisiae. Genetic and molecular data support the maintaining of var. bayanus and var. uvarum strains in the species S. bayanus. Using Southern hybridization with species-specific molecular markers, RFLP of the MET2 gene and flow cytometry analysis, we showed that the non-S. cerevisiae parents are different in lager brewing yeasts and in wine hybrid strains. Our results suggest that S. pastorianus is a hybrid between S. cerevisiae and S. bayanus var. bayanus, while S. bayanus var. uvarum contributed to the formation of the wine hybrids S6U and CID1. According to the partial sequence of ACT1 gene and flow cytometry analysis, strain CID1 is a triple hybrid between S. cerevisiae, S. kudriavzevii and S. bayanus var. uvarum.
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