Phenotypic and physiological characterization of mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for genes potentially involved in industrial fermentation

Author(s)

Nádia Maria Vieira Sampaio

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia
• Defense date: 2013-02-07

Examining board members

Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira; Anderson Ferreira da Cunha; Sandra Regina Ceccato Antonini

• Advisor: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira; Juan Lucas Argueso

Abstract

In the past years, the search for renewable energy sources has increased worldwide and, recently, the bioethanol fermentation process rises as an economically viable and less pollutant alternative supply. Several steps of the production process have been enhanced and the genetic improvement of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains plays a key role on that effort. In Brazil, the yeast strain JAY270/PE-2 is widely used in the industrial sector due to its high productivity and robustness, being remarkably superior to the reference laboratory strain S288c. In order to shed light to the genetic characteristics underlying these traits, our group sequenced the genome of the derivative haploid JAY291, which unveiled a total of 21 predicted genes absent in the S288c reference genome. The substantial differences observed between these strains motivated us to investigate the relationship between these predicted genes and the industrially relevant phenotype of JAY270/PE-2 strain. Thus, we accomplished the functional investigation of 4 putative genes through phenotypic evaluation of knockout strains. It was not possible to correlate those genes to a specific function. Although, considering their functional annotation, their conservation between industrial strains and also their differential expression during an industrial fermentation strengthens their potential to be related to these industrially valuable traits. Therefore, this study might work as a backbone for the future functional characterization of these genes. This knowledge is of cardinal importance for a comprehensive understanding of the biology of this specie and could possibly provide new targets for the genetic manipulation of the industrial strain JAY270/PE-2 (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/14131-1 - Phenotypic and physiological characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PE-2 strain) mutants for putative genes of industrial interest
• Grantee: Nádia Maria Vieira Sampaio
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master