Beer, Bread, and Wine: The Evolutionary Genetic History of Divergence Among Domesticated and Wild Strains of the Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Mentor/s
Professor Geffrey F. Stopper & Professor Kirk A. Bartholomew
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are used for the production of bread, beer, and wine. The strains used in these industries appear to be quite variable even within each industry, with many strains showing distinct heritable phenotypes. Variable traits include the profile of metabolic byproducts produced during fermentation, among other variable characteristics. The process of domestication of yeast was probably inadvertently well under way thousands of years ago, but the pattern and timing of the domestication of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is poorly understood. For example, it is unknown if strains have historically been frequently passed between these industries, and it is unknown whether there have been multiple individual domestication events from wild ancestors within these industries. Here we seek to identify genetic variation among many strains from these industries through PCR and sequencing of several genes. This identified variation will be used to understand the evolutionary relationships of these strains, and therefore historical patterns of divergence in their use within and among the three industries. We intend to extend this study through whole genome sequencing, and hope to use the variation to also make steps toward developing molecular assays for rapid strain purity screening in the brewing industry.
Location
University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-24-2019 2:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-24-2019 5:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Prize Categories
Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Creative
Beer, Bread, and Wine: The Evolutionary Genetic History of Divergence Among Domesticated and Wild Strains of the Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
University Commons
Strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are used for the production of bread, beer, and wine. The strains used in these industries appear to be quite variable even within each industry, with many strains showing distinct heritable phenotypes. Variable traits include the profile of metabolic byproducts produced during fermentation, among other variable characteristics. The process of domestication of yeast was probably inadvertently well under way thousands of years ago, but the pattern and timing of the domestication of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is poorly understood. For example, it is unknown if strains have historically been frequently passed between these industries, and it is unknown whether there have been multiple individual domestication events from wild ancestors within these industries. Here we seek to identify genetic variation among many strains from these industries through PCR and sequencing of several genes. This identified variation will be used to understand the evolutionary relationships of these strains, and therefore historical patterns of divergence in their use within and among the three industries. We intend to extend this study through whole genome sequencing, and hope to use the variation to also make steps toward developing molecular assays for rapid strain purity screening in the brewing industry.
Students' Information
Francesca G. Norko, Honors, 2021
Alexandra Wyluda, Honors, 2021
Luciana Gizzo, Honors, 2020
Gabrielle Gontarek, 2019
James J. Siclari, 2018