Genomic sequence diversity and population structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae assessed by RAD-seq

Known mutator alleles do not markedly increase mutation rate in clinical Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

Natural selection has the potential to act on all phenotypes, including genomic mutation rate. Classic evolutionary theory predicts that in asexual populations, mutator alleles, which cause high mutation rates, can fix due to linkage with beneficial mutations. This phenomenon has been demonstrated experimentally and may explain the frequency of mutators found in bacterial pathogens. By contrast, in sexual populations, recombination decouples mutator alleles from beneficial mutations, preventing mutator fixation. In the facultatively sexual yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, segregating alleles of MLH1 and PMS1 have been shown to be incompatible, causing a high mutation rate when combined. These alleles had never been found together naturally, but were recently discovered in a cluster of clinical isolates. Here we report that the incompatible mutator allele combination only marginally elevates mutation rate in these clinical strains. Genomic and phylogenetic analyses provide no evidence of a historically elevated mutation rate. We conclude that the effect of the mutator alleles is dampened by background genetic modifiers. Thus, the relationship between mutation rate and microbial pathogenicity may be more complex than once thought. Our findings provide rare observational evidence that supports evolutionary theory suggesting that sexual organisms are unlikely to harbour alleles that increase their genomic mutation rate.

Genomic signatures of adaptation to wine biological ageing conditions in biofilm-forming flor yeasts

The molecular and evolutionary processes underlying fungal domestication remain largely unknown despite the importance of fungi to bioindustry and for comparative adaptation genomics in eukaryotes. Wine fermentation and biological ageing are performed by strains of S. cerevisiae with, respectively, pelagic fermentative growth on glucose and biofilm aerobic growth utilizing ethanol. Here, we use environmental samples of wine and flor yeasts to investigate the genomic basis of yeast adaptation to contrasted anthropogenic environments. Phylogenetic inference and population structure analysis based on single nucleotide polymorphisms revealed a group of flor yeasts separated from wine yeasts. A combination of methods revealed several highly differentiated regions between wine and flor yeasts, and analyses using codon-substitution models for detecting molecular adaptation identified sites under positive selection in the high-affinity transporter gene ZRT1. The cross-population composite likelihood ratio revealed selective sweeps at three regions, including in the hexose transporter gene HXT7, the yapsin gene YPS6 and the membrane protein coding gene MTS27. Our analyses also revealed that the biological ageing environment has led to the accumulation of numerous mutations in proteins from several networks, including Flo11 regulation and divalent metal transport. Together, our findings suggest that the tuning of FLO11 expression and zinc transport networks are a distinctive feature of the genetic changes underlying the domestication of flor yeasts. Our study highlights the multiplicity of genomic changes underlying yeast adaptation to man-made habitats and reveals that flor/wine yeast lineage can serve as a useful model for studying the genomics of adaptive divergence.

European derived Saccharomyces cerevisiae colonisation of New Zealand vineyards aided by humans

Humans have acted as vectors for species and expanded their ranges since at least the dawn of agriculture. While relatively well characterised for macrofauna and macroflora, the extent and dynamics of human-aided microbial dispersal is poorly described. We studied the role which humans have played in manipulating the distribution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the world's most important microbes, using whole genome sequencing. We include 52 strains representative of the diversity in New Zealand to the global set of genomes for this species. Phylogenomic approaches show an exclusively European origin of the New Zealand population, with a minimum of 10 founder events mostly taking place over the last 1000 years. Our results show that humans have expanded the range of S. cerevisiae and transported it to New Zealand where it was not previously present, where it has now become established in vineyards, but radiation to native forests appears limited.

Genome sequencing shows that humans have unwittingly transported wine yeast to the other side of the planet, where this species has become established in vineyards.

Distinct Domestication Trajectories in Top-Fermenting Beer Yeasts and Wine Yeasts

Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages and is produced by the fermentation of sugars derived from starches present in cereal grains. Contrary to lager beers, made by bottom-fermenting strains of Saccharomyces pastorianus, a hybrid yeast, ale beers are closer to the ancient beer type and are fermented by S. cerevisiae, a top-fermenting yeast. Here, we use population genomics to investigate (1) the closest relatives of top-fermenting beer yeasts; (2) whether top-fermenting yeasts represent an independent domestication event separate from those already described; (3) whether single or multiple beer yeast domestication events can be inferred; and (4) whether top-fermenting yeasts represent non-recombinant or recombinant lineages. Our results revealed that top-fermenting beer yeasts are polyphyletic, with a main clade composed of at least three subgroups, dominantly represented by the German, British, and wheat beer strains. Other beer strains were phylogenetically close to sake, wine, or bread yeasts. We detected genetic signatures of beer yeast domestication by investigating genes previously linked to brewing and using genome-wide scans. We propose that the emergence of the main clade of beer yeasts is related with a domestication event distinct from the previously known cases of wine and sake yeast domestication. The nucleotide diversity of the main beer clade more than doubled that of wine yeasts, which might be a consequence of fundamental differences in the modes of beer and wine yeast domestication. The higher diversity of beer strains could be due to the more intense and different selection regimes associated to brewing.

Leveraging Genetic-Background Effects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae To Improve Lignocellulosic Hydrolysate Tolerance

A major obstacle to sustainable lignocellulosic biofuel production is microbe inhibition by the combinatorial stresses in pretreated plant hydrolysate. Chemical biomass pretreatment releases a suite of toxins that interact with other stressors, including high osmolarity and temperature, which together can have poorly understood synergistic effects on cells. Improving tolerance in industrial strains has been hindered, in part because the mechanisms of tolerance reported in the literature often fail to recapitulate in other strain backgrounds. Here, we explored and then exploited variations in stress tolerance, toxin-induced transcriptomic responses, and fitness effects of gene overexpression in different Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) strains to identify genes and processes linked to tolerance of hydrolysate stressors. Using six different S. cerevisiae strains that together maximized phenotypic and genetic diversity, first we explored transcriptomic differences between resistant and sensitive strains to identify common and strain-specific responses. This comparative analysis implicated primary cellular targets of hydrolysate toxins, secondary effects of defective defense strategies, and mechanisms of tolerance. Dissecting the responses to individual hydrolysate components across strains pointed to synergistic interactions between osmolarity, pH, hydrolysate toxins, and nutrient composition. By characterizing the effects of high-copy gene overexpression in three different strains, we revealed the breadth of the background-specific effects of gene fitness contributions in synthetic hydrolysate. Our approach identified new genes for engineering improved stress tolerance in diverse strains while illuminating the effects of genetic background on molecular mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE

Recent studies on natural variation within Saccharomyces cerevisiae have uncovered substantial phenotypic diversity. Here, we took advantage of this diversity, using it as a tool to infer the effects of combinatorial stress found in lignocellulosic hydrolysate. By comparing sensitive and tolerant strains, we implicated primary cellular targets of hydrolysate toxins and elucidated the physiological states of cells when exposed to this stress. We also explored the strain-specific effects of gene overexpression to further identify strain-specific responses to hydrolysate stresses and to identify genes that improve hydrolysate tolerance independent of strain background. This study underscores the importance of studying multiple strains to understand the effects of hydrolysate stress and provides a method to find genes that improve tolerance across strain backgrounds.

Impact of Commercial Strain Use on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Population Structure and Dynamics in Pinot Noir Vineyards and Spontaneous Fermentations of a Canadian Winery

Wine is produced by one of two methods: inoculated fermentation, where a commercially-produced, single Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) yeast strain is used; or the traditional spontaneous fermentation, where yeast present on grape and winery surfaces carry out the fermentative process. Spontaneous fermentations are characterized by a diverse succession of yeast, ending with one or multiple strains of S. cerevisiae dominating the fermentation. In wineries using both fermentation methods, commercial strains may dominate spontaneous fermentations. We elucidate the impact of the winery environment and commercial strain use on S. cerevisiae population structure in spontaneous fermentations over two vintages by comparing S. cerevisiae populations in aseptically fermented grapes from a Canadian Pinot Noir vineyard to S. cerevisiae populations in winery-conducted fermentations of grapes from the same vineyard. We also characterize the vineyard-associated S. cerevisiae populations in two other geographically separate Pinot Noir vineyards farmed by the same winery. Winery fermentations were not dominated by commercial strains, but by a diverse number of strains with genotypes similar to commercial strains, suggesting that a population of S. cerevisiae derived from commercial strains is resident in the winery. Commercial and commercial-related yeast were also identified in the three vineyards examined, although at a lower frequency. There is low genetic differentiation and S. cerevisiae population structure between vineyards and between the vineyard and winery that persisted over both vintages, indicating commercial yeast are a driver of S. cerevisiae population structure. We also have evidence of distinct and persistent populations of winery and vineyard-associated S. cerevisiae populations unrelated to commercial strains. This study is the first to characterize S. cerevisiae populations in Canadian vineyards.

Cellar-Associated Saccharomyces cerevisiae Population Structure Revealed High-Level Diversity and Perennial Persistence at Sauternes Wine Estates

Three wine estates (designated A, B, and C) were sampled in Sauternes, a typical appellation of the Bordeaux wine area producing sweet white wine. From those wine estates, 551 yeast strains were collected between 2012 and 2014, added to 102 older strains from 1992 to 2011 from wine estate C. All the strains were analyzed through 15 microsatellite markers, resulting in 503 unique Saccharomyces cerevisiae genotypes, revealing high genetic diversity and a low presence of commercial yeast starters. Population analysis performed using Fst genetic distance or ancestry profiles revealed that the two closest wine estates, B and C, which have juxtaposed vineyard plots and common seasonal staff, share more related isolates with each other than with wine estate A, indicating exchange between estates. The characterization of isolates collected 23 years ago at wine estate C in relation to recent isolates obtained at wine estate B revealed the long-term persistence of isolates. Last, during the 2014 harvest period, a temporal succession of ancestral subpopulations related to the different batches associated with the selective picking of noble rotted grapes was highlighted.

IMPORTANCE

High genetic diversity of S. cerevisiae isolates from spontaneous fermentation on wine estates in the Sauternes appellation of Bordeaux was revealed. Only 7% of all Sauternes strains were considered genetically related to specific commercial strains. The long-term persistence (over 20 years) of S. cerevisiae profiles on a given wine estate is highlighted.

Exploiting budding yeast natural variation for industrial processes

For the last two decades, the natural variation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been massively exploited with the aim of understanding ecological and evolutionary processes. As a result, many new genetic variants have been uncovered, providing a large catalogue of alleles underlying complex traits. These alleles represent a rich genetic resource with the potential to provide new strains that can cope with the growing demands of industrial fermentation processes. When surveyed in detail, several of these variants have proven useful in wine and beer industries by improving nitrogen utilisation, fermentation kinetics, ethanol production, sulphite resistance and aroma production. Here, I illustrate how allele-specific expression and polymorphisms within the coding region of GDB1 underlie fermentation kinetic differences in synthetic wine must. Nevertheless, the genetic basis of how GDB1 variants and other natural alleles interact in foreign genetic backgrounds remains unclear. Further studies in large sets of strains, recombinant hybrids and multiple parental pairs will broaden our knowledge of the molecular and genetic basis of trait adaptation for utilisation in applied and industrial processes.

Large-Scale Survey of Intraspecific Fitness and Cell Morphology Variation in a Protoploid Yeast Species

It is now clear that the exploration of the genetic and phenotypic diversity of nonmodel species greatly improves our knowledge in biology. In this context, we recently launched a population genomic analysis of the protoploid yeast Lachancea kluyveri (formerly Saccharomyces kluyveri), highlighting a broad genetic diversity (π = 17 × 10⁻³) compared to the yeast model organism, S. cerevisiae (π = 4 × 10⁻³). Here, we sought to generate a comprehensive view of the phenotypic diversity in this species. In total, 27 natural L. kluyveri isolates were subjected to trait profiling using the following independent approaches: (i) analyzing growth in 55 growth conditions and (ii) investigating 501 morphological changes at the cellular level. Despite higher genetic diversity, the fitness variance observed in L. kluyveri is lower than that in S. cerevisiae. However, morphological features show an opposite trend. In addition, there is no correlation between the origins (ecological or geographical) of the isolate and the phenotypic patterns, demonstrating that trait variation follows neither population history nor source environment in L. kluyveri. Finally, pairwise comparisons between growth rate correlation and genetic diversity show a clear decrease in phenotypic variability linked to genome variation increase, whereas no such a trend was identified for morphological changes. Overall, this study reveals for the first time the phenotypic diversity of a distantly related species to S. cerevisiae. Given its genetic properties, L. kluyveri might be useful in further linkage mapping analyses of complex traits, and could ultimately provide a better insight into the evolution of the genotype–phenotype relationship across yeast species.

Diversity of flux distribution in central carbon metabolism of S. cerevisiae strains from diverse environments

Background

S. cerevisiae has attracted considerable interest in recent years as a model for ecology and evolutionary biology, revealing a substantial genetic and phenotypic diversity. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the diversity of metabolic networks within this species.

Results

To identify the metabolic and evolutionary constraints that shape metabolic fluxes in S. cerevisiae, we used a dedicated constraint-based model to predict the central carbon metabolism flux distribution of 43 strains from different ecological origins, grown in wine fermentation conditions. In analyzing these distributions, we observed a highly contrasted situation in flux variability, with quasi-constancy of the glycolysis and ethanol synthesis yield yet high flexibility of other fluxes, such as the pentose phosphate pathway and acetaldehyde production. Furthermore, these fluxes with large variability showed multimodal distributions that could be linked to strain origin, indicating a convergence between genetic origin and flux phenotype.

Conclusions

Flux variability is pathway-dependent and, for some flux, a strain origin effect can be found. These data highlight the constraints shaping the yeast operative central carbon network and provide clues for the design of strategies for strain improvement.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12934-016-0456-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Independent Origins of Yeast Associated with Coffee and Cacao Fermentation

Modern transportation networks have facilitated the migration and mingling of previously isolated populations of plants, animals, and insects. Human activities can also influence the global distribution of microorganisms. The best-understood example is yeasts associated with winemaking. Humans began making wine in the Middle East over 9,000 years ago [1, 2]. Selecting favorable fermentation products created specialized strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae [3, 4] that were transported along with grapevines. Today, S. cerevisiae strains residing in vineyards around the world are genetically similar, and their population structure suggests a common origin that followed the path of human migration [3-7]. Like wine, coffee and cacao depend on microbial fermentation [8, 9] and have been globally dispersed by humans. Theobroma cacao originated in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of Colombia and Venezuela [10], was cultivated in Central America by Mesoamerican peoples, and was introduced to Europeans by Hernán Cortés in 1530 [11]. Coffea, native to Ethiopia, was disseminated by Arab traders throughout the Middle East and North Africa in the 6(th) century and was introduced to European consumers in the 17(th) century [12]. Here, we tested whether the yeasts associated with coffee and cacao are genetically similar, crop-specific populations or genetically diverse, geography-specific populations. Our results uncovered populations that, while defined by niche and geography, also bear signatures of admixture between major populations in events independent of the transport of the plants. Thus, human-associated fermentation and migration may have affected the distribution of yeast involved in the production of coffee and chocolate.

Summer temperature can predict the distribution of wild yeast populations

The wine yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is the best understood microbial eukaryote at the molecular and cellular level, yet its natural geographic distribution is unknown. Here we report the results of a field survey for S. cerevisiae,S. paradoxus and other budding yeast on oak trees in Europe. We show that yeast species differ in their geographic distributions, and investigated which ecological variables can predict the isolation rate of S. paradoxus, the most abundant species. We find a positive association between trunk girth and S. paradoxus abundance suggesting that older trees harbor more yeast. S. paradoxus isolation frequency is also associated with summer temperature, showing highest isolation rates at intermediate temperatures. Using our statistical model, we estimated a range of summer temperatures at which we expect high S. paradoxus isolation rates, and show that the geographic distribution predicted by this optimum temperature range is consistent with the worldwide distribution of sites where S. paradoxus has been isolated. Using laboratory estimates of optimal growth temperatures for S. cerevisiae relative to S. paradoxus, we also estimated an optimum range of summer temperatures for S. cerevisiae. The geographic distribution of these optimum temperatures is consistent with the locations where wild S. cerevisiae have been reported, and can explain why only human-associated S. cerevisiae strains are isolated at northernmost latitudes. Our results provide a starting point for targeted isolation of S. cerevisiae from natural habitats, which could lead to a better understanding of climate associations and natural history in this important model microbe.

Population genomics of yeasts: towards a comprehensive view across a broad evolutionary scale

With the advent of high-throughput technologies for sequencing, the complete description of the genetic variation that occurs in populations, also known as population genomics, is foreseeable but far from being reached. Explaining the forces that govern patterns of genetic variation is essential to elucidate the evolutionary history of species. Genetic variation results from a wide assortment of evolutionary forces, among which mutation, selection, recombination and drift play major roles in shaping genomes. In addition, exploring the genetic variation within a population also corresponds to the first step towards dissecting the genotype-phenotype relationship. In this context, yeast species are of particular interest because they represent a unique resource for studying the evolution of intraspecific genetic diversity in a phylum spanning a broad evolutionary scale. Here, we briefly review recent progress in yeast population genomics and provide some perspective on this rapidly evolving field. In fact, we truly believe that it is of interest to supplement comparative and early population genomic studies with the deep sequencing of more extensive sets of individuals from the same species. In parallel, it would be more than valuable to uncover the intraspecific variation of a large number of unexplored species, including those that are closely and more distantly related. Altogether, these data would enable substantially more powerful genomic scans for functional dissection.

Evidence of Natural Hybridization in Brazilian Wild Lineages of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The natural biology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the best known unicellular model eukaryote, remains poorly documented and understood although recent progress has started to change this situation. Studies carried out recently in the Northern Hemisphere revealed the existence of wild populations associated with oak trees in North America, Asia, and in the Mediterranean region. However, in spite of these advances, the global distribution of natural populations of S. cerevisiae, especially in regions were oaks and other members of the Fagaceae are absent, is not well understood. Here we investigate the occurrence of S. cerevisiae in Brazil, a tropical region where oaks and other Fagaceae are absent. We report a candidate natural habitat of S. cerevisiae in South America and, using whole-genome data, we uncover new lineages that appear to have as closest relatives the wild populations found in North America and Japan. A population structure analysis revealed the penetration of the wine genotype into the wild Brazilian population, a first observation of the impact of domesticated microbe lineages on the genetic structure of wild populations. Unexpectedly, the Brazilian population shows conspicuous evidence of hybridization with an American population of Saccharomyces paradoxus. Introgressions from S. paradoxus were significantly enriched in genes encoding secondary active transmembrane transporters. We hypothesize that hybridization in tropical wild lineages may have facilitated the habitat transition accompanying the colonization of the tropical ecosystem.

Microsatellite analysis of Saccharomyces uvarum diversity

Considered as a sister species of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. uvarum is, to a lesser extent, an interesting species for fundamental and applied research studies. Despite its potential interest as a new gene pool for fermenting agents, the intraspecific molecular genetic diversity of this species is still poorly investigated. In this study, we report the use of nine microsatellite markers to describe S. uvarum genetic diversity and population structure among 108 isolates from various geographical and substrate origins (wine, cider and natural sources). Our combined microsatellite markers set allowed differentiating 89 genotypes. In contrast to S. cerevisiae genetic diversity, wild and human origin isolates were intertwined. A total of 75% of strains were proven to be homozygotes and estimated heterozygosity suggests a selfing rate above 0.95 for the different population tested here. From this point of view, the S. uvarum life cycle appears to be more closely related to S. paradoxus or S. cerevisiae of natural resources than S. cerevisiae wine isolates. Population structure could not be correlated to distinct geographic or technological origins, suggesting lower differentiation that may result from a large exchange between human and natural populations mediated by insects or human activities.

Whole-Genome Sequencing and Intraspecific Analysis of the Yeast Species Lachancea quebecensis

The gold standard in yeast population genomics has been the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, the exploration of yeast species outside the Saccharomyces genus is essential to broaden the understanding of genome evolution. Here, we report the analyses of whole-genome sequences of nineisolates from the recently described yeast species Lachancea quebecensis. The genome of one isolate was assembled and annotated, and the intraspecific variability within L. quebecensis was surveyed by comparing the sequences from the eight other isolates to this reference sequence. Our study revealed that these strains harbor genomes with an average nucleotide diversity of π = 2 × 10⁻³ which is slightly lower, although on the same order of magnitude, as that previously determined for S. cerevisiae (π = 4 × 10⁻³). Our results show that even though these isolates were all obtained from a relatively isolated geographic location, the same ecological source, and represent a smaller sample size than is available for S. cerevisiae, the levels of divergence are similar to those observed in this model species. This divergence is essentially linked to the presence of two distinct clusters delineated according to geographic location. However, even with relatively similar ranges of genome divergence, L. quebecensis has an extremely low global phenotypic variance of 0.062 compared with 0.59 previously determined in S. cerevisiae.

Sucrose and Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a relationship most sweet

Sucrose is an abundant, readily available and inexpensive substrate for industrial biotechnology processes and its use is demonstrated with much success in the production of fuel ethanol in Brazil. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which naturally evolved to efficiently consume sugars such as sucrose, is one of the most important cell factories due to its robustness, stress tolerance, genetic accessibility, simple nutrient requirements and long history as an industrial workhorse. This minireview is focused on sucrose metabolism in S. cerevisiae, a rather unexplored subject in the scientific literature. An analysis of sucrose availability in nature and yeast sugar metabolism was performed, in order to understand the molecular background that makes S. cerevisiae consume this sugar efficiently. A historical overview on the use of sucrose and S. cerevisiae by humans is also presented considering sugarcane and sugarbeet as the main sources of this carbohydrate. Physiological aspects of sucrose consumption are compared with those concerning other economically relevant sugars. Also, metabolic engineering efforts to alter sucrose catabolism are presented in a chronological manner. In spite of its extensive use in yeast-based industries, a lot of basic and applied research on sucrose metabolism is imperative, mainly in fields such as genetics, physiology and metabolic engineering.

A unique ecological niche fosters hybridization of oak-tree and vineyard isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Differential adaptation to distinct niches can restrict gene flow and promote population differentiation within a species. However, in some cases the distinction between niches can collapse, forming a hybrid niche with features of both environments. We previously reported that distinctions between vineyards and oak soil present an ecological barrier that restricts gene flow between lineages of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Vineyard isolates are tolerant to stresses associated with grapes while North American oak strains are particularly tolerant to freeze-thaw cycles. Here, we report the isolation of S. cerevisiae strains from Wisconsin cherry trees, which display features common to vineyards (e.g. high sugar concentrations) and frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Genome sequencing revealed that the isolated strains are highly heterozygous and represent recent hybrids of the oak × vineyard lineages. We found that the hybrid strains are phenotypically similar to vineyard strains for some traits, but are more similar to oak strains for other traits. The cherry strains were exceptionally good at growing in cherry juice, raising the possibility that they have adapted to this niche. We performed transcriptome profiling in cherry, oak and vineyard strains and show that the cherry-tree hybrids display vineyard-like or oak-like expression, depending on the gene sets, and in some cases, the expression patterns linked back to shared stress tolerances. Allele-specific expression in these natural hybrids suggested concerted cis-regulatory evolution at sets of functionally regulated genes. Our results raise the possibility that hybridization of the two lineages provides a genetic solution to the thriving in this unique niche.

Sporulation in soil as an overwinter survival strategy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Due to its commercial value and status as a research model there is an extensive body of knowledge concerning Saccharomyces cerevisiae's cell biology and genetics. Investigations into S. cerevisiae's ecology are comparatively lacking, and are mostly focused on the behaviour of this species in high sugar, fruit-based environments; however, fruit is ephemeral, and presumably, S. cerevisiae has evolved a strategy to survive when this niche is not available. Among other places, S. cerevisiae has been isolated from soil which, in contrast to fruit, is a permanent habitat. We hypothesize that S. cerevisiae employs a life history strategy targeted at self-preservation rather than growth outside of the fruit niche, and resides in forest niches, such as soil, in a dormant and resistant sporulated state, returning to fruit via vectors such as insects. One crucial aspect of this hypothesis is that S. cerevisiae must be able to sporulate in the ‘forest’ environment. Here, we provide the first evidence for a natural environment (soil) where S. cerevisiae sporulates. While there are further aspects of this hypothesis that require experimental verification, this is the first step towards an inclusive understanding of the more cryptic aspects of S. cerevisiae's ecology.

The ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to sporulate in soil supports a ‘fruit forest-reservoir’ life-cycle.

On the Mapping of Epistatic Genetic Interactions in Natural Isolates: Combining Classical Genetics and Genomics

Genetic variation within species is the substrate of evolution. Epistasis, which designates the non-additive interaction between loci affecting a specific phenotype, could be one of the possible outcomes of genetic diversity. Dissecting the basis of such interactions is of current interest in different fields of biology, from exploring the gene regulatory network, to complex disease genetics, to the onset of reproductive isolation and speciation. We present here a general workflow to identify epistatic interactions between independently evolving loci in natural populations of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The idea is to exploit the genetic diversity present in the species by evaluating a large number of crosses and analyzing the phenotypic distribution in the offspring. For a cross of interest, both parental strains would have a similar phenotypic value, whereas the resulting offspring would have a bimodal distribution of the phenotype, possibly indicating the presence of epistasis. Classical segregation analysis of the tetrads uncovers the penetrance and complexity of the interaction. In addition, this segregation could serve as the guidelines for choosing appropriate mapping strategies to narrow down the genomic regions involved. Depending on the segregation patterns observed, we propose different mapping strategies based on bulk segregant analysis or consecutive backcrosses followed by high-throughput genome sequencing. Our method is generally applicable to all systems with a haplodiplobiontic life cycle and allows high resolution mapping of interacting loci that govern various DNA polymorphisms from single nucleotide mutations to large-scale structural variations.

Population perspectives on functional genomic variation in yeast

Advances in high-throughput sequencing have facilitated large-scale surveys of genomic variation in the budding yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae These surveys have revealed extensive sequence variation between yeast strains. However, much less is known about how such variation influences the amount and nature of variation for functional genomic traits within and between yeast lineages. We review population-level studies of functional genomic variation, with a particular focus on how population functional genomic approaches can provide insights into both genome function and the evolutionary process. Although variation in functional genomics phenotypes is pervasive, our understanding of the consequences of this variation, either in physiological or evolutionary terms, is still rudimentary and thus motivates increased attention to appropriate null models. To date, much of the focus of population functional genomic studies has been on gene expression variation, but other functional genomic data types are just as likely to reveal important insights at the population level, suggesting a pressing need for more studies that go beyond transcription. Finally, we discuss how a population functional genomic perspective can be a powerful approach for developing a mechanistic understanding of the processes that link genomic variation to organismal phenotypes through gene networks.

A population genomics insight into the Mediterranean origins of wine yeast domestication

The domestication of the wine yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is thought to be contemporary with the development and expansion of viticulture along the Mediterranean basin. Until now, the unavailability of wild lineages prevented the identification of the closest wild relatives of wine yeasts. Here, we enlarge the collection of natural lineages and employ whole-genome data of oak-associated wild isolates to study a balanced number of anthropic and natural S. cerevisiae strains. We identified industrial variants and new geographically delimited populations, including a novel Mediterranean oak population. This population is the closest relative of the wine lineage as shown by a weak population structure and further supported by genomewide population analyses. A coalescent model considering partial isolation with asymmetrical migration, mostly from the wild group into the Wine group, and population growth, was found to be best supported by the data. Importantly, divergence time estimates between the two populations agree with historical evidence for winemaking. We show that three horizontally transmitted regions, previously described to contain genes relevant to wine fermentation, are present in the Wine group but not in the Mediterranean oak group. This represents a major discontinuity between the two populations and is likely to denote a domestication fingerprint in wine yeasts. Taken together, these results indicate that Mediterranean oaks harbour the wild genetic stock of domesticated wine yeasts.

Stress Tolerance Variations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains from Diverse Ecological Sources and Geographical Locations

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a platform organism for bioethanol production from various feedstocks and robust strains are desirable for efficient fermentation because yeast cells inevitably encounter stressors during the process. Recently, diverse S. cerevisiae lineages were identified, which provided novel resources for understanding stress tolerance variations and related shaping factors in the yeast. This study characterized the tolerance of diverse S. cerevisiae strains to the stressors of high ethanol concentrations, temperature shocks, and osmotic stress. The results showed that the isolates from human-associated environments overall presented a higher level of stress tolerance compared with those from forests spared anthropogenic influences. Statistical analyses indicated that the variations of stress tolerance were significantly correlated with both ecological sources and geographical locations of the strains. This study provides guidelines for selection of robust S. cerevisiae strains for bioethanol production from nature.

Diversity and adaptive evolution of Saccharomyces wine yeast: a review

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and related species, the main workhorses of wine fermentation, have been exposed to stressful conditions for millennia, potentially resulting in adaptive differentiation. As a result, wine yeasts have recently attracted considerable interest for studying the evolutionary effects of domestication. The widespread use of whole-genome sequencing during the last decade has provided new insights into the biodiversity, population structure, phylogeography and evolutionary history of wine yeasts. Comparisons between S. cerevisiae isolates from various origins have indicated that a variety of mechanisms, including heterozygosity, nucleotide and structural variations, introgressions, horizontal gene transfer and hybridization, contribute to the genetic and phenotypic diversity of S. cerevisiae. This review will summarize the current knowledge on the diversity and evolutionary history of wine yeasts, focusing on the domestication fingerprints identified in these strains.

This review summarizes current knowledge and recent advances on the diversity and evolutionary history of Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts, focusing on the domestication fingerprints identified in these strains.

Review of current methods for characterizing virulence and pathogenicity potential of industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains towards humans

Most industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used in food or biotechnology processes are benign. However, reports of S. cerevisiae infections have emerged and novel strains continue to be developed. In order to develop recommendations for the human health risk assessment of S. cerevisiae strains, we conducted a literature review of current methods used to characterize their pathogenic potential and evaluated their relevance towards risk assessment. These studies revealed that expression of virulence traits in S. cerevisiae is complex and depends on many factors. Given the opportunistic nature of this organism, an approach using multiple lines of evidence is likely necessary for the reasonable prediction of the pathogenic potential of a particular strain. Risk assessment of S. cerevisiae strains would benefit from more research towards the comparison of virulent and non-virulent strains in order to better understand those genotypic and phenotypic traits most likely to be associated with pathogenicity.

Evolutionary Advantage Conferred by an Eukaryote-to-Eukaryote Gene Transfer Event in Wine Yeasts

Although an increasing number of horizontal gene transfers have been reported in eukaryotes, experimental evidence for their adaptive value is lacking. Here, we report the recent transfer of a 158-kb genomic region between Torulaspora microellipsoides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts or closely related strains. This genomic region has undergone several rearrangements in S. cerevisiae strains, including gene loss and gene conversion between two tandemly duplicated FOT genes encoding oligopeptide transporters. We show that FOT genes confer a strong competitive advantage during grape must fermentation by increasing the number and diversity of oligopeptides that yeast can utilize as a source of nitrogen, thereby improving biomass formation, fermentation efficiency, and cell viability. Thus, the acquisition of FOT genes has favored yeast adaptation to the nitrogen-limited wine fermentation environment. This finding indicates that anthropic environments offer substantial ecological opportunity for evolutionary diversification through gene exchange between distant yeast species.

Population structure of mitochondrial genomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Background

Rigorous study of mitochondrial functions and cell biology in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has advanced our understanding of mitochondrial genetics. This yeast is now a powerful model for population genetics, owing to large genetic diversity and highly structured populations among wild isolates. Comparative mitochondrial genomic analyses between yeast species have revealed broad evolutionary changes in genome organization and architecture. A fine-scale view of recent evolutionary changes within S. cerevisiae has not been possible due to low numbers of complete mitochondrial sequences.

Results

To address challenges of sequencing AT-rich and repetitive mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs), we sequenced two divergent S. cerevisiae mtDNAs using a single-molecule sequencing platform (PacBio RS). Using de novo assemblies, we generated highly accurate complete mtDNA sequences. These mtDNA sequences were compared with 98 additional mtDNA sequences gathered from various published collections. Phylogenies based on mitochondrial coding sequences and intron profiles revealed that intraspecific diversity in mitochondrial genomes generally recapitulated the population structure of nuclear genomes. Analysis of intergenic sequence indicated a recent expansion of mobile elements in certain populations. Additionally, our analyses revealed that certain populations lacked introns previously believed conserved throughout the species, as well as the presence of introns never before reported in S. cerevisiae.

Conclusions

Our results revealed that the extensive variation in S. cerevisiae mtDNAs is often population specific, thus offering a window into the recent evolutionary processes shaping these genomes. In addition, we offer an effective strategy for sequencing these challenging AT-rich mitochondrial genomes for small scale projects.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1664-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparative genomics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae natural isolates for bioenergy production

Lignocellulosic plant material is a viable source of biomass to produce alternative energy including ethanol and other biofuels. However, several factors—including toxic byproducts from biomass pretreatment and poor fermentation of xylose and other pentose sugars—currently limit the efficiency of microbial biofuel production. To begin to understand the genetic basis of desirable traits, we characterized three strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with robust growth in a pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysate or tolerance to stress conditions relevant to industrial biofuel production, through genome and transcriptome sequencing analysis. All stress resistant strains were highly mosaic, suggesting that genetic admixture may contribute to novel allele combinations underlying these phenotypes. Strain-specific gene sets not found in the lab strain were functionally linked to the tolerances of particular strains. Furthermore, genes with signatures of evolutionary selection were enriched for functional categories important for stress resistance and included stress-responsive signaling factors. Comparison of the strains’ transcriptomic responses to heat and ethanol treatment—two stresses relevant to industrial bioethanol production—pointed to physiological processes that were related to particular stress resistance profiles. Many of the genotype-by-environment expression responses occurred at targets of transcription factors with signatures of positive selection, suggesting that these strains have undergone positive selection for stress tolerance. Our results generate new insights into potential mechanisms of tolerance to stresses relevant to biofuel production, including ethanol and heat, present a backdrop for further engineering, and provide glimpses into the natural variation of stress tolerance in wild yeast strains.

Ecological and Genetic Barriers Differentiate Natural Populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

How populations that inhabit the same geographical area become genetically differentiated is not clear. To investigate this, we characterized phenotypic and genetic differences between two populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that in some cases inhabit the same environment but show relatively little gene flow. We profiled stress sensitivity in a group of vineyard isolates and a group of oak-soil strains and found several niche-related phenotypes that distinguish the populations. We performed bulk-segregant mapping on two of the distinguishing traits: The vineyard-specific ability to grow in grape juice and oak-specific tolerance to the cell wall damaging drug Congo red. To implicate causal genes, we also performed a chemical genomic screen in the lab-strain deletion collection and identified many important genes that fell under quantitative trait loci peaks. One gene important for growth in grape juice and identified by both the mapping and the screen was SSU1, a sulfite-nitrite pump implicated in wine fermentations. The beneficial allele is generated by a known translocation that we reasoned may also serve as a genetic barrier. We found that the translocation is prevalent in vineyard strains, but absent in oak strains, and presents a postzygotic barrier to spore viability. Furthermore, the translocation was associated with a fitness cost to the rapid growth rate seen in oak-soil strains. Our results reveal the translocation as a dual-function locus that enforces ecological differentiation while producing a genetic barrier to gene flow in these sympatric populations.

The 100-genomes strains, an S. cerevisiae resource that illuminates its natural phenotypic and genotypic variation and emergence as an opportunistic pathogen

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a well-established model for species as diverse as humans and pathogenic fungi, is more recently a model for population and quantitative genetics. S. cerevisiae is found in multiple environments—one of which is the human body—as an opportunistic pathogen. To aid in the understanding of the S. cerevisiae population and quantitative genetics, as well as its emergence as an opportunistic pathogen, we sequenced, de novo assembled, and extensively manually edited and annotated the genomes of 93 S. cerevisiae strains from multiple geographic and environmental origins, including many clinical origin strains. These 93 S. cerevisiae strains, the genomes of which are near-reference quality, together with seven previously sequenced strains, constitute a novel genetic resource, the “100-genomes” strains. Our sequencing coverage, high-quality assemblies, and annotation provide unprecedented opportunities for detailed interrogation of complex genomic loci, examples of which we demonstrate. We found most phenotypic variation to be quantitative and identified population, genotype, and phenotype associations. Importantly, we identified clinical origin associations. For example, we found that an introgressed PDR5 was present exclusively in clinical origin mosaic group strains; that the mosaic group was significantly enriched for clinical origin strains; and that clinical origin strains were much more copper resistant, suggesting that copper resistance contributes to fitness in the human host. The 100-genomes strains are a novel, multipurpose resource to advance the study of S. cerevisiae population genetics, quantitative genetics, and the emergence of an opportunistic pathogen.

Protocols and programs for high-throughput growth and aging phenotyping in yeast

In microorganisms, and more particularly in yeasts, a standard phenotyping approach consists in the analysis of fitness by growth rate determination in different conditions. One growth assay that combines high throughput with high resolution involves the generation of growth curves from 96-well plate microcultivations in thermostated and shaking plate readers. To push the throughput of this method to the next level, we have adapted it in this study to the use of 384-well plates. The values of the extracted growth parameters (lag time, doubling time and yield of biomass) correlated well between experiments carried out in 384-well plates as compared to 96-well plates or batch cultures, validating the higher-throughput approach for phenotypic screens. The method is not restricted to the use of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as shown by consistent results for other species selected from the Hemiascomycete class. Furthermore, we used the 384-well plate microcultivations to develop and validate a higher-throughput assay for yeast Chronological Life Span (CLS), a parameter that is still commonly determined by a cumbersome method based on counting "Colony Forming Units". To accelerate analysis of the large datasets generated by the described growth and aging assays, we developed the freely available software tools GATHODE and CATHODE. These tools allow for semi-automatic determination of growth parameters and CLS behavior from typical plate reader output files. The described protocols and programs will increase the time- and cost-efficiency of a number of yeast-based systems genetics experiments as well as various types of screens.

Temperature and host preferences drive the diversification of Saccharomyces and other yeasts: a survey and the discovery of eight new yeast species

Compared to its status as an experimental model system and importance to industry, the ecology and genetic diversity of the genus Saccharomyces has received less attention. To investigate systematically the biogeography, community members and habitat of these important yeasts, we isolated and identified nearly 600 yeast strains using sugar-rich enrichment protocols. Isolates were highly diverse and contained representatives of more than 80 species from over 30 genera, including eight novel species that we describe here: Kwoniella betulae f.a. (yHKS285(T) = NRRL Y-63732(T) = CBS 13896(T)), Kwoniella newhampshirensis f.a. (yHKS256(T) = NRRL Y-63731(T) = CBS 13917(T)), Cryptococcus wisconsinensis (yHKS301(T) = NRRL Y-63733(T) = CBS 13895(T)), Cryptococcus tahquamenonensis (yHAB242(T) = NRRL Y-63730(T) = CBS 13897(T)), Kodamaea meredithiae f.a. (yHAB239(T) = NRRL Y-63729(T) = CBS 13899(T)), Blastobotrys buckinghamii (yHAB196(T) = NRRL Y-63727(T) = CBS 13900(T)), Candida sungouii (yHBJ21(T) = NRRL Y-63726(T) = CBS 13907(T)) and Cyberlindnera culbertsonii f.a. (yHAB218(T) = NRRL Y-63728(T) = CBS 13898(T)), spp. nov. Saccharomyces paradoxus was one of the most frequently isolated species and was represented by three genetically distinct lineages in Wisconsin alone. We found a statistically significant association between Quercus (oak) samples and the isolation of S. paradoxus, as well as several novel associations. Variation in temperature preference was widespread across taxonomic ranks and evolutionary timescales. This survey highlights the genetic and taxonomic diversity of yeasts and suggests that host and temperature preferences are major ecological factors.

The genomic and phenotypic diversity of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Natural variation within species reveals aspects of genome evolution and function. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an important model for eukaryotic biology, but researchers typically use one standard laboratory strain. To extend the usefulness of this model, we surveyed the genomic and phenotypic variation in 161 natural isolates. We sequenced the genomes of all strains, finding moderate genetic diversity (π = 3 × 10(-3) substitutions/site) and weak global population structure. We estimate that dispersal of S. pombe began during human antiquity (∼340 BCE), and ancestors of these strains reached the Americas at ∼1623 CE. We quantified 74 traits, finding substantial heritable phenotypic diversity. We conducted 223 genome-wide association studies, with 89 traits showing at least one association. The most significant variant for each trait explained 22% of the phenotypic variance on average, with indels having larger effects than SNPs. This analysis represents a rich resource to examine genotype-phenotype relationships in a tractable model.

Natural variation in preparation for nutrient depletion reveals a cost-benefit tradeoff

Yeast can anticipate the depletion of a preferred nutrient by preemptively activating genes for alternative nutrients; the degree of this preparation varies across natural strains and is subject to a fitness tradeoff.

Maximizing growth and survival in the face of a complex, time-varying environment is a common problem for single-celled organisms in the wild. When offered two different sugars as carbon sources, microorganisms first consume the preferred sugar, then undergo a transient growth delay, the “diauxic lag,” while inducing genes to metabolize the less preferred sugar. This delay is commonly assumed to be an inevitable consequence of selection to maximize use of the preferred sugar. Contrary to this view, we found that many natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae display short or nonexistent diauxic lags when grown in mixtures of glucose (preferred) and galactose. These strains induce galactose utilization (GAL) genes hours before glucose exhaustion, thereby “preparing” for the transition from glucose to galactose metabolism. The extent of preparation varies across strains, and seems to be determined by the steady-state response of GAL genes to mixtures of glucose and galactose rather than by induction kinetics. Although early GAL gene induction gives strains a competitive advantage once glucose runs out, it comes at a cost while glucose is still present. Costs and benefits correlate with the degree of preparation: strains with higher expression of GAL genes prior to glucose exhaustion experience a larger upfront growth cost but also a shorter diauxic lag. Our results show that classical diauxic growth is only one extreme on a continuum of growth strategies constrained by a cost–benefit tradeoff. This type of continuum is likely to be common in nature, as similar tradeoffs can arise whenever cells evolve to use mixtures of nutrients.

When microorganisms encounter multiple sugars, they often consume a preferred sugar (such as glucose) before consuming alternative sugars (such as galactose). In experiments on laboratory strains of yeast, cells typically stop growing when the preferred sugar runs out, and start growing again only after taking time to turn on genes for alternative sugar utilization. This pause in growth, the “diauxic lag,” is a classic example of the ability of cells to make decisions based on environmental signals. Here we find, however, that when different natural yeast strains are grown in a mix of glucose and galactose, some strains do not exhibit a diauxic lag, or have a very short one. These “short lag” strains are able to turn on galactose utilization—or GAL—genes up to four hours before the glucose runs out, in effect preparing for the transition to galactose consumption. Although such preparation helps strains avoid the diauxic lag, it causes them to grow slower before glucose runs out, presumably because of the metabolic burden of expressing GAL genes. These observations suggest that microbes in nature may commonly face a tradeoff between growing efficiently on their preferred nutrient and being ready to consume alternative nutrients should the preferred nutrient run out.

Genetic mapping of MAPK-mediated complex traits Across S. cerevisiae

Signaling pathways enable cells to sense and respond to their environment. Many cellular signaling strategies are conserved from fungi to humans, yet their activity and phenotypic consequences can vary extensively among individuals within a species. A systematic assessment of the impact of naturally occurring genetic variation on signaling pathways remains to be conducted. In S. cerevisiae, both response and resistance to stressors that activate signaling pathways differ between diverse isolates. Here, we present a quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping approach that enables us to identify genetic variants underlying such phenotypic differences across the genetic and phenotypic diversity of S. cerevisiae. Using a Round-robin cross between twelve diverse strains, we identified QTL that influence phenotypes critically dependent on MAPK signaling cascades. Genetic variants under these QTL fall within MAPK signaling networks themselves as well as other interconnected signaling pathways. Finally, we demonstrate how the mapping results from multiple strain background can be leveraged to narrow the search space of causal genetic variants.

Wild yeast strains differ in phenotypes that are controlled by highly conserved signaling pathways. Yet it remains unknown how naturally occurring genetic variants influence signaling pathways in yeast. We have developed an approach to facilitate the mapping of genetic variants that underlie these phenotypic differences in a set of wild strain. Our mapping approach requires minimal strain engineering and enables the rapid isolation of mapping populations from any strain background. In particular, we have mapped genetic variants in twelve highly diverse yeast strains. Further, we demonstrate how the mapping results from these twelve strains can be used jointly to narrow the number of genetic variants identified to a set of putative causal variants. We identify genetic variants in genes with various roles in cell signaling. Our results illustrate the interplay of different signaling pathways and which signaling genes are more likely to contain variants of large phenotypic impact.

Allelic variation, aneuploidy, and nongenetic mechanisms suppress a monogenic trait in yeast

Clinically relevant features of monogenic diseases, including severity of symptoms and age of onset, can vary widely in response to environmental differences as well as to the presence of genetic modifiers affecting the trait's penetrance and expressivity. While a better understanding of modifier loci could lead to treatments for Mendelian diseases, the rarity of individuals harboring both a disease-causing allele and a modifying genotype hinders their study in human populations. We examined the genetic architecture of monogenic trait modifiers using a well-characterized yeast model of the human Mendelian disease classic galactosemia. Yeast strains with loss-of-function mutations in the yeast ortholog (GAL7) of the human disease gene (GALT) fail to grow in the presence of even small amounts of galactose due to accumulation of the same toxic intermediates that poison human cells. To isolate and individually genotype large numbers of the very rare (∼0.1%) galactose-tolerant recombinant progeny from a cross between two gal7Δ parents, we developed a new method, called "FACS-QTL." FACS-QTL improves upon the currently used approaches of bulk segregant analysis and extreme QTL mapping by requiring less genome engineering and strain manipulation as well as maintaining individual genotype information. Our results identified multiple distinct solutions by which the monogenic trait could be suppressed, including genetic and nongenetic mechanisms as well as frequent aneuploidy. Taken together, our results imply that the modifiers of monogenic traits are likely to be genetically complex and heterogeneous.

YMAP: a pipeline for visualization of copy number variation and loss of heterozygosity in eukaryotic pathogens

The design of effective antimicrobial therapies for serious eukaryotic pathogens requires a clear understanding of their highly variable genomes. To facilitate analysis of copy number variations, single nucleotide polymorphisms and loss of heterozygosity events in these pathogens, we developed a pipeline for analyzing diverse genome-scale datasets from microarray, deep sequencing, and restriction site associated DNA sequence experiments for clinical and laboratory strains of Candida albicans, the most prevalent human fungal pathogen. The Y_MAP pipeline (http://lovelace.cs.umn.edu/Ymap/) automatically illustrates genome-wide information in a single intuitive figure and is readily modified for the analysis of other pathogens with small genomes.

Allelic variation, aneuploidy, and nongenetic mechanisms suppress a monogenic trait in yeast

Clinically relevant features of monogenic diseases, including severity of symptoms and age of onset, can vary widely in response to environmental differences as well as to the presence of genetic modifiers affecting the trait’s penetrance and expressivity. While a better understanding of modifier loci could lead to treatments for Mendelian diseases, the rarity of individuals harboring both a disease-causing allele and a modifying genotype hinders their study in human populations. We examined the genetic architecture of monogenic trait modifiers using a well-characterized yeast model of the human Mendelian disease classic galactosemia. Yeast strains with loss-of-function mutations in the yeast ortholog (GAL7) of the human disease gene (GALT) fail to grow in the presence of even small amounts of galactose due to accumulation of the same toxic intermediates that poison human cells. To isolate and individually genotype large numbers of the very rare (∼0.1%) galactose-tolerant recombinant progeny from a cross between two gal7Δ parents, we developed a new method, called “FACS-QTL.” FACS-QTL improves upon the currently used approaches of bulk segregant analysis and extreme QTL mapping by requiring less genome engineering and strain manipulation as well as maintaining individual genotype information. Our results identified multiple distinct solutions by which the monogenic trait could be suppressed, including genetic and nongenetic mechanisms as well as frequent aneuploidy. Taken together, our results imply that the modifiers of monogenic traits are likely to be genetically complex and heterogeneous.

Population genomics reveals chromosome-scale heterogeneous evolution in a protoploid yeast

Yeast species represent an ideal model system for population genomic studies but large-scale polymorphism surveys have only been reported for species of the Saccharomyces genus so far. Hence, little is known about intraspecific diversity and evolution in yeast. To obtain a new insight into the evolutionary forces shaping natural populations, we sequenced the genomes of an expansive worldwide collection of isolates from a species distantly related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Lachancea kluyveri (formerly S. kluyveri). We identified 6.5 million single nucleotide polymorphisms and showed that a large introgression event of 1 Mb of GC-rich sequence in the chromosomal arm probably occurred in the last common ancestor of all L. kluyveri strains. Our population genomic data clearly revealed that this 1-Mb region underwent a molecular evolution pattern very different from the rest of the genome. It is characterized by a higher recombination rate, with a dramatically elevated A:T → G:C substitution rate, which is the signature of an increased GC-biased gene conversion. In addition, the predicted base composition at equilibrium demonstrates that the chromosome-scale compositional heterogeneity will persist after the genome has reached mutational equilibrium. Altogether, the data presented herein clearly show that distinct recombination and substitution regimes can coexist and lead to different evolutionary patterns within a single genome.

Mitochondrial-nuclear epistasis contributes to phenotypic variation and coadaptation in natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitochondria are essential multifunctional organelles whose metabolic functions, biogenesis, and maintenance are controlled through genetic interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. In natural populations, mitochondrial efficiencies may be impacted by epistatic interactions between naturally segregating genome variants. The extent that mitochondrial-nuclear epistasis contributes to the phenotypic variation present in nature is unknown. We have systematically replaced mitochondrial DNAs in a collection of divergent Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast isolates and quantified the effects on growth rates in a variety of environments. We found that mitochondrial-nuclear interactions significantly affected growth rates and explained a substantial proportion of the phenotypic variances under some environmental conditions. Naturally occurring mitochondrial-nuclear genome combinations were more likely to provide growth advantages, but genetic distance could not predict the effects of epistasis. Interruption of naturally occurring mitochondrial-nuclear genome combinations increased endogenous reactive oxygen species in several strains to levels that were not always proportional to growth rate differences. Our results demonstrate that interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes generate phenotypic diversity in natural populations of yeasts and that coadaptation of intergenomic interactions likely occurs quickly within the specific niches that yeast occupy. This study reveals the importance of considering allelic interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes when investigating evolutionary relationships and mapping the genetic basis underlying complex traits.

Quantifying separation and similarity in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metapopulation

Eukaryotic microbes are key ecosystem drivers; however, we have little theory and few data elucidating the processes influencing their observed population patterns. Here we provide an in-depth quantitative analysis of population separation and similarity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the aim of providing a more detailed account of the population processes occurring in microbes. Over 10,000 individual isolates were collected from native plants, vineyards and spontaneous ferments of fruit from six major regions spanning 1000 km across New Zealand. From these, hundreds of S. cerevisiae genotypes were obtained, and using a suite of analytical methods we provide comprehensive quantitative estimates for both population structure and rates of gene flow or migration. No genetic differentiation was detected within geographic regions, even between populations inhabiting native forests and vineyards. We do, however, reveal a picture of national population structure at scales above ∼100 km with distinctive populations in the more remote Nelson and Central Otago regions primarily contributing to this. In addition, differential degrees of connectivity between regional populations are observed and correlate with the movement of fruit by the New Zealand wine industry. This suggests some anthropogenic influence on these observed population patterns.

Ploidy-regulated variation in biofilm-related phenotypes in natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The ability of yeast to form biofilms contributes to better survival under stressful conditions. We see the impact of yeast biofilms and “flocs” (clumps) in human health and industry, where forming clumps enables yeast to act as a natural filter in brewing and forming biofilms enables yeast to remain virulent in cases of fungal infection. Despite the importance of biofilms in yeast natural isolates, the majority of our knowledge about yeast biofilm genetics comes from work with a few tractable laboratory strains. A new collection of sequenced natural isolates from the Saccharomyces Genome Resequencing Project enabled us to examine the breadth of biofilm-related phenotypes in geographically, ecologically, and genetically diverse strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We present a panel of 31 haploid and 24 diploid strains for which we have characterized six biofilm-related phenotypes: complex colony morphology, complex mat formation, flocculation, agar invasion, polystyrene adhesion, and psuedohyphal growth. Our results show that there is extensive phenotypic variation between and within strains, and that these six phenotypes are primarily uncorrelated or weakly correlated, with the notable exception of complex colony and complex mat formation. We also show that the phenotypic strength of these strains varies significantly depending on ploidy, and the diploid strains demonstrate both decreased and increased phenotypic strength with respect to their haploid counterparts. This is a more complex view of the impact of ploidy on biofilm-related phenotypes than previous work with laboratory strains has suggested, demonstrating the importance and enormous potential of working with natural isolates of yeast.

A Gondwanan imprint on global diversity and domestication of wine and cider yeast Saccharomyces uvarum

In addition to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cryotolerant yeast species S. uvarum is also used for wine and cider fermentation but nothing is known about its natural history. Here we use a population genomics approach to investigate its global phylogeography and domestication fingerprints using a collection of isolates obtained from fermented beverages and from natural environments on five continents. South American isolates contain more genetic diversity than that found in the Northern Hemisphere. Moreover, coalescence analyses suggest that a Patagonian sub-population gave rise to the Holarctic population through a recent bottleneck. Holarctic strains display multiple introgressions from other Saccharomyces species, those from S. eubayanus being prevalent in European strains associated with human-driven fermentations. These introgressions are absent in the large majority of wild strains and gene ontology analyses indicate that several gene categories relevant for wine fermentation are overrepresented. Such findings constitute a first indication of domestication in S. uvarum.

Chromosomal rearrangements as a major mechanism in the onset of reproductive isolation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Understanding the molecular basis of how reproductive isolation evolves between individuals from the same species offers valuable insight into patterns of genetic differentiation as well as the onset of speciation [1, 2]. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae constitutes an ideal model partly due to its vast ecological range, high level of genetic diversity [3-6], and laboratory-amendable sexual reproduction. Between S. cerevisiae and its sibling species in the Saccharomyces sensu stricto complex, reproductive isolation acts postzygotically and could be attributed to chromosomal rearrangements [7], cytonuclear incompatibility [8, 9], and antirecombination [10, 11], although the implication of these mechanisms at the incipient stage of speciation remains unclear due to further divergence in the nascent species. Recently, several studies assessed the onset of intraspecific reproductive isolation in S. cerevisiae by evaluating the effect of the mismatch repair system [12-14] or by fostering incipient speciation using the same initial genetic background [15-18]. Nevertheless, the overall genetic diversity within this species was largely overlooked, and no systematic evaluation has been performed. Here, we carried out the first species-wide survey for postzygotic reproductive isolation in S. cerevisiae. We crossed 60 natural isolates sampled from diverse niches with the reference strain S288c and identified 16 cases of reproductive isolation with reduced offspring viabilities ranging from 44% to 86%. Using different mapping strategies, we identified reciprocal translocations in a large fraction of all isolates surveyed, indicating that large-scale chromosomal rearrangements might play a major role in the onset of reproductive isolation in this species.

A high-definition view of functional genetic variation from natural yeast genomes

The question of how genetic variation in a population influences phenotypic variation and evolution is of major importance in modern biology. Yet much is still unknown about the relative functional importance of different forms of genome variation and how they are shaped by evolutionary processes. Here we address these questions by population level sequencing of 42 strains from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its closest relative S. paradoxus. We find that genome content variation, in the form of presence or absence as well as copy number of genetic material, is higher within S. cerevisiae than within S. paradoxus, despite genetic distances as measured in single-nucleotide polymorphisms being vastly smaller within the former species. This genome content variation, as well as loss-of-function variation in the form of premature stop codons and frameshifting indels, is heavily enriched in the subtelomeres, strongly reinforcing the relevance of these regions to functional evolution. Genes affected by these likely functional forms of variation are enriched for functions mediating interaction with the external environment (sugar transport and metabolism, flocculation, metal transport, and metabolism). Our results and analyses provide a comprehensive view of genomic diversity in budding yeast and expose surprising and pronounced differences between the variation within S. cerevisiae and that within S. paradoxus. We also believe that the sequence data and de novo assemblies will constitute a useful resource for further evolutionary and population genomics studies.