%0 Journal Article %A Lachance, Marc-AndrÉ. %A Phaff, Herman J. %T Comparative Study of Molecular Size and Structure of Exo-β-Glucanases from Kluyveromyces and Other Yeast Genera: Evolutionary and Taxonomic Implications %D 1979 %J International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, %V 29 %N 1 %P 70-78 %@ 1466-5034 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00207713-29-1-70 %I Microbiology Society, %X A comparative study was made of the molecular weights of the exo-β-glucanases (EC 3.2.1.58) of species belonging to Kluyveromyces or to various other yeast genera. Their immunological distances were determined with the exo-β-glucanases from Kluyveromyces fragilis, K. phaseolosporus, K. aestuarii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as references. The molecular sizes of the enzymes were estimated by polyacrylamide gel exclusion chromatography, and the immunological comparison was done by the microcomplement fixation technique. The molecular weights of the enzymes from ascomycetous species ranged from 24 x 103 to 63 x 103, but the majority of the species, including most species of Kluyveromyces, contained exo-β-glucanases with molecular weights between 35 x 103 and 45 x 103. Immunological identity was observed among the exo-β-glucanases from the following species: K. fragilis (reference species), K. marxianus, K. bulgaricus, K. cicerisporus, and K. wikenii; closely related were K. phaseolosporus (reference species), K. delphensis, K. lactis, K. vanudenii, and K. drosophilarum; also closely related were Saccharomyces cerevisiae (reference species), S. italicus, S. uvarum, and S. chevalieri. The exo-β-glucanase from K. aestuarii showed low degrees of homology with those from all tested species of Kluyveromyces. It was concluded from these data that ascospore shape has little significance in the phylogeny of this genus. Other evolutionary implications are discussed. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/00207713-29-1-70