CAREER: Saccharomyces diversity and the rapid evolution of hybrid lager-brewing yeast

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Brewing yeasts are an attractive living system for studying rapid genetic change because they have adapted to an environment recently created by humans. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a same warm-adapted species, is traditionally used for wine-making, bread-leavening, and in the bioethanol industry. In contrast, a hybrid of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain and a recently discovered species, Saccharomyces eubayanus, are cold-adapted and are used in other applications. The objectives of this study are to determine 1) which traits were contributed to lager yeast by each parent, 2) which genetic changes occurred in the brewing environment, 3) and whether variation in the parental species contributed to lager yeast traits. Hundreds of genome sequences of yeasts isolated from natural and brewing environments will be generated and analyzed to identify candidate differences, which will be tested through genetic manipulation. Understanding how wild yeast adapt to industrial environments will provide a framework and candidate genes for improving biofuel strains. This project will also help train the next generation of scientists and educators, from high school students and teachers to postdoctoral researchers, including individuals from underrepresented minority backgrounds. In particular, the Yeast Exploration and Analysis Science Team ("Wild YEAST Program") directly involves high school and early-stage undergraduate students in using modern isolation and genetic identification techniques to study natural variation and genetic diversity in Saccharomyces and other yeasts. Visiting high school teachers will develop classroom lab modules that address the Next-Generation Science Standards while engaging students in real biodiversity and genetics research.