ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, ACT 2601, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; Division of Research, Pete

A new method for determining ribosomal DNA copy number shows differences between Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations.

Published in Genomics

Ribosomal DNA genes (rDNA) encode the major ribosomal RNAs and in eukaryotes typically form tandem repeat arrays. Species have characteristic rDNA copy numbers, but there is substantial intra-species variation in copy number that results from frequent rDNA recombination. Copy number differences can have phenotypic consequences, however difficulties...