PCR-RFLP analysis of the IGS region of rDNA: a useful tool for the practical discrimination between species of the genus Debaryomyces

The amplification by PCR of the intergenic spacer region (IGS) of rDNA followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was evaluated as a potential method for discriminating the 16 species belonging to the genus Debaryomyces. The digestion of this region with some or all the enzymes used in this study (HapII, HhaI and MboI) produced species-specific patterns that permitted differentiation of the species in the genus. With the exception of Debaryomyces vanrijiae, the technique was also efficient for␣distinguishing the varieties in the species Debaryomyces hansenii (var. hansenii, var. fabryi), Debaryomyces occidentalis (var. occidentalis, var. persoonii) and Debaryomyces polymorphus (var. africanus, var. polymorphus), respectively. PCR-RFLP analysis of the IGS region of rDNA is proposed as a clear and reproducible technique for the practical discrimination of species of the yeast genus Debaryomyces.