INDUCED CHROMOSOME REARRANGEMENTS AND MORPHOLOGIC VARIATION IN CANDIDA-ALBICANS

We have isolated a mutant of Candida albicans that switches between co lony morphologies at high frequencies in a strain with several genetic markers. This strain, 1183, has an altered karyotype with two extra c hromosomes. The 1183 karyotype is unstable upon passage. Using DNA tra nsformation with the URA3 gene flanked by sequences from the C. albica ns repeat sequence 27A, we have marked individual chromosomes of 1183 and 1161, a related smooth, stable strain. Many transformants containe d one or more extra chromosomes, ranging in size from 150 kb to 2.1 Mb . Most were less than 800 kb and appeared to be fragments of a single chromosome. All fragments tested derive from one of the two smallest c hromosomes. Six of 13 fragments contained the URA3 gene. In some cases , URA3 was located at the end of a fragment,vith adjacent telomere rep eats. The integrated copy of URA3 was unstable in some 1183 transforma nts. Our results suggest that 1183 has a mutation affecting genomic st ability. A connection between karyotypic changes and morphologic varia tion has been suggested from studies of several C. albicans strains; h owever, we find that gross karyotypic and morphological changes are se parable processes.