Determination of chromosome copy numbers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains via integrative probe and blot hybridization techniques.

Methods have been devised for analyzing chromosome copy numbers in S. cerevisiae strains that may be polyploid or aneuploid, as is apparent in the case of many industrial strains. The initial step involved transformation of a strain with an integrative "ploidy probe" transplacement fragment that enabled the copy number of the targeted chromosomal locus to be determined via genomic Southern blotting and quantitative probe hybridization. Dual probe co-hybridization to Southern genomic DNA blots was used to extend such locus copy number determinations to other loci within the same chromosome, thereby screening for internal consistency along the length of the chromosome. This approach was also used to extend the analysis to other chromosomes in the genome. The method was established and verified with euploid series laboratory strains and then used to examine chromosome copy numbers in three industrial strains. One brewing strain apparently contained three copies of the chromosomes tested, whilst another brewing and a baking strain showed evidence of aneuploidy.