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

酿酒酵母是研究快速遗传变化的一个有吸引力的生命系统，因为它们已经适应了人类最近创造的环境。酿酒酵母，同样是一种适应温暖的物种，传统上用于酿酒、面包发酵和生物乙醇工业。相比之下，酿酒酵母菌菌株和最近发现的物种真bayanus Saccharomyces的杂交菌株适应寒冷，并用于其他应用。本研究的目的是确定1)每个亲本对大啤酒酵母的哪些性状有贡献，2)在酿造环境中发生了哪些遗传变化，3)亲本物种的变异是否对大啤酒酵母的性状有贡献。将生成和分析从自然和酿造环境中分离的数百个酵母基因组序列，以确定候选差异，并将通过遗传操作进行测试。了解野生酵母如何适应工业环境将为改进生物燃料菌株提供框架和候选基因。该项目还将帮助培养下一代科学家和教育工作者，从高中生和教师到博士后研究人员，包括来自未被充分代表的少数民族背景的个人。特别是酵母探索和分析科学团队（“野生酵母计划”）直接让高中生和早期本科生利用现代分离和遗传鉴定技术研究酵母菌和其他酵母的自然变异和遗传多样性。来访的高中教师将开发针对下一代科学标准的课堂实验模块，同时让学生参与真正的生物多样性和遗传学研究。

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.