Project description:In the search for renewable sources of energy, bioethanol stands out as a benchmark biofuel because its production is based on a proven technological platform. Bioethanol is produced mainly from the fermentation of carbohydrates derived from agricultural feedstocks by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One of the most widely adopted strains is PE-2, a heterothallic diploid naturally adapted to the sugar cane fermentation process used in Brazil. Here we report the molecular genetic analysis of a PE-2 derived diploid (JAY270), and the complete genome sequence of a haploid derivative (JAY291). The JAY270 genome is highly heterozygous (~2 SNPs per kilobase), and has several structural polymorphisms between homologous chromosomes. These chromosomal rearrangements are confined to the peripheral regions of the chromosomes, and appear to reflect ectopic homologous recombination between repetitive DNA sequences. Despite the complex karyotype of JAY270, this diploid, when sporulated, had a high frequency of viable spores (~93%). Crosses of haploids derived from JAY270 to a haploid of the unrelated laboratory strain S288c also resulted in diploids that had good spore viability (75-95%). Thus, the rearrangements that exist near the ends of chromosomes do not impair meiosis and spore viability, as they do not span regions that contain essential genes. This observation is consistent with a model in which the peripheral regions of chromosomes represent plastic domains of the genome that are free to recombine ectopically and experiment with alternative structures that may be associated with a fitness benefit. We also explore features of the JAY270 and JAY291 genomes that help explain their high adaptation to industrial environments, exhibiting desirable phenotypes such as high cell mass production and fermentation kinetics, high temperature growth and oxidative stress tolerance. The genomic manipulation of such strains could enable the creation a new generation of industrial organisms, ideally suited for use as delivery vehicles for future bioenergy technologies.

Project description:In the search for renewable sources of energy, bioethanol stands out as a benchmark biofuel because its production is based on a proven technological platform. Bioethanol is produced mainly from the fermentation of carbohydrates derived from agricultural feedstocks by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One of the most widely adopted strains is PE-2, a heterothallic diploid naturally adapted to the sugar cane fermentation process used in Brazil. Here we report the molecular genetic analysis of a PE-2 derived diploid (JAY270), and the complete genome sequence of a haploid derivative (JAY291). The JAY270 genome is highly heterozygous (~2 SNPs per kilobase), and has several structural polymorphisms between homologous chromosomes. These chromosomal rearrangements are confined to the peripheral regions of the chromosomes, and appear to reflect ectopic homologous recombination between repetitive DNA sequences. Despite the complex karyotype of JAY270, this diploid, when sporulated, had a high frequency of viable spores (~93%). Crosses of haploids derived from JAY270 to a haploid of the unrelated laboratory strain S288c also resulted in diploids that had good spore viability (75-95%). Thus, the rearrangements that exist near the ends of chromosomes do not impair meiosis and spore viability, as they do not span regions that contain essential genes. This observation is consistent with a model in which the peripheral regions of chromosomes represent plastic domains of the genome that are free to recombine ectopically and experiment with alternative structures that may be associated with a fitness benefit. We also explore features of the JAY270 and JAY291 genomes that help explain their high adaptation to industrial environments, exhibiting desirable phenotypes such as high cell mass production and fermentation kinetics, high temperature growth and oxidative stress tolerance. The genomic manipulation of such strains could enable the creation a new generation of industrial organisms, ideally suited for use as delivery vehicles for future bioenergy technologies. This microarray experiment was used to compare the relative gene expression levels between two unrelated S. cerevisiae strain backgrounds: JAY270 and JAY309. Total RNA from each strain was prepared and used to synthesize differentially labeled cDNAs (Cy5 and C3 respectively). A positive Log2 (Red/Green) ratio indicates transcripts more abundant in JAY270, while a negative Log2 (Red/Green) ration indicates transcripts more abundant in JAY309.

Dataset Information

Adaptation to industrial stressors through genomic and transcriptional plasticity in a bioethanol producing fission yeast isolate [RNA-seq]

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