Variation in the electrophoretic karyotype of Brazilian strains of Metarhizium anisopliae

Abstract

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to separate chromosome-sized DNA molecules of four strains of Metarhizium anisopliae from Brazil. Metarhizium anisopliae isolates from Japan have been reported as possessing seven chromosomes. Variation was observed among the Brazilian strains and the chromosomal DNA was resolved into eight bands for strain CG46. Densitometric analysis of PFGE gels suggested that the other three Brazilian strains also possess eight chromosomes, with two chromosomes migrating as doublets under the electrophoretic conditions used. The genome size was estimated as varying between 23.39 to 31.88 Mb, not including possible doublet chromosomes.