Genetic Differentiation of the Sherry Yeasts <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

Molecular and genetic studies of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated at distinct stages of sherry making (young wine, solera, and criadera) in various winemaking regions of Spain demonstrated that sherry yeasts diverged from primary winemaking yeasts according to several physiological and molecular markers. All sherry strains, regardless of the place and time of their isolation, carry a 24-bp deletion in the ITS1 region of ribosomal DNA, whereas the yeasts of primary winemaking lack this deletion. Molecular karyotypes of sherry yeasts from different populations were found to be very similar.     

Genomics and biochemistry of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> wine yeast strains

Saccharomyces yeasts have been used for millennia for the production of beer, wine, bread, and other fermented products. Long-term “unconscious” selection and domestication led to the selection of hundreds of strains with desired production traits having significant phenotypic and genetic differences from their wild ancestors. This review summarizes the results of recent research in deciphering the genomes of wine Saccharomyces strains, the use of comparative genomics methods to study the mechanisms of yeast genome evolution under conditions of artificial selection, and the use of genomic and postgenomic approaches to identify the molecular nature of the important characteristics of commercial wine strains of Saccharomyces. Succinctly, data concerning metagenomics of microbial communities of grapes and wine and the dynamics of yeast and bacterial flora in the course of winemaking is provided. A separate section is devoted to an overview of the physiological, genetic, and biochemical features of sherry yeast strains used to produce biologically aged wines. The goal of the review is to convince the reader of the efficacy of new genomic and postgenomic technologies as tools for developing strategies for targeted selection and creation of new strains using “classical” and modern techniques for improving wine-making technology.     

Genetic differentiation of the sherry yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Molecular genetic study of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated at various stages of sherry making (young wine, solera, and criadera) in various winemaking regions of Spain demonstrated that sherry yeasts diverged from the primary winemaking yeasts according to several physiological and molecular markers. All sherry strains independently of the place and time of their isolation carry a 24-bp deletion in the ITS 1 region of ribosomal DNA, whereas the yeasts of the primary winemaking lack this deletion. Molecular karyotypes of the sherry yeast from different populations were found very similar.     

Acetaldehyde and ethanol are responsible for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in flor yeasts

Flor yeasts grow and survive in fino sherry wine where the frequency of respiratory-deficient (petite) mutants is very low. Mitochondria from flor yeasts are highly acetaldehyde- and ethanol-tolerant, and resistant to oxidative stress. However, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of mtDNA from flor yeast populations is very high and reflects variability induced by the high concentrations of acetaldehyde and ethanol of sherry wine on mtDNA. mtDNA RFLP increases as the concentration of these compounds also increases, but is followed by a total loss of mtDNA in petite cells. Yeasts with functional mitochondria (grande) are target of continuous variability, so that flor yeast mtDNA can evolve extremely rapidly and may serve as a reservoir of genetic diversity, whereas petite mutants are eventually eliminated because metabolism in sherry wine is oxidative.     

Tracer Experiments in Feeding Littoral Foraminifera*†‡

SYNOPSIS. Tracer technic has proved to be an excellent tool in the study of predator-prey relationships among the foraminifera. More than fifty axenic species of protists including diatoms, dinoflagellates, chlorophytes, chrysophytes, cyanophytes, bacteria and yeasts were tested as potential food for Allogromia sp (NF), A. laticollaris, Am. monia beccarii, Quinqueloculina spp, Rosalina floridana, Anomalina sp, Elphidium sp, Spiroloculina hyalina, Globigerina bulloides, and Globorotalia truncatulinoides. Although many types of potential food are present in the environment, foraminifera select only certain organisms. The yeasts, cyanophytes, dinoflagellates, chrysophytes and most bacteria tested were not eaten. Selected species of diatoms, chlorophytes and bacteria were eaten in large quantity. Three additional factors affect feeding: the “age” of the food organism, the “age” of the foraminifer or its position in the life cycle, and the concentration of the food. Feeding by foraminifera on most food is erratic below a concentration of 10³ organisms and is approximately directly proportional to concentration within a range of 10³-10⁶ organisms per 10 ml experimental tube. A natural bloom of Protelphidium tisburyensis was analyzed. A high concentration of 6 species of diatoms characterized the community. A “bloom”-feeder hypothesis for foraminiferal nutrition is presented.     

Aroma of sherry wines

Over 130 volatile components have been identified in aromas of film (F), submerged-culture flor (S), and baked (B) sherries. The composition of these volatiles, which include more than 25 alcohols, five carbonyls, ten acetals, three amides, 35 esters, and five lactones, is influenced by the variety of grape used, the nature of the primary alcoholic fermentation, type of cooperage, aging and blending system, and filmphase yeast metabolism in (F) and (S) or reactions occurring during “baking” in (B). The influence of these factors on the aroma and several volatile formation mechanisms which contribute to the characteristic flavor of sherry, particularly during the film growth and during baking, are discussed.     

Continuous Production of Flor Sherry from New York State Wines

Flor sherry-like wines were produced continuously from New York State wines from Delaware or cold-pressed Concord grapes whose pigment contents were reduced with activated carbon. The course of flor fermentation was followed by total aldehyde analysis. Optimal flor production was observed at 18 to 20 C. Two continuous methods of fermentation were used. A glass column packed with ceramic saddles densely covered with yeasts gave good results, but required more careful management than the second method of submerged fermentation in a laboratory fermentor, which gave a higher sherry output and higher aldehyde production. With the laboratory fermentor, it was possible to obtain a sherry output of 22 liters per 24 hr with an aldehyde content of 300 to 500 mg per liter. The flor sherry produced by these methods required subsequent aging and fortification to the desired alcohol content.     

Electropositively charged filters for the recovery of yeasts and bacteria from beverages

The ability of electropositively charged filters to recover yeasts and lactic acid bacteria from a variety of beverages was evaluated. Filtration through 'Zeta plus', grade OSS, filters recovered nearly all of the yeast contaminants from table wines, sherry and port. Recovery of yeasts from cream liqueurs and egg-based beverages was also good but it was not possible to filter drinks containing orange juice, even through filters with nominal pore sizes of 2 to 10 μm. Lactic acid bacteria proved more difficult to recover than yeasts, even though smaller pore-sized filters (1 to 4 μm) were employed. However, a sufficiently high percentage of bacteria were recovered to justify use of these filters for quality assurance. The advantage of concentrating contaminants by using charged filters, and the influence of product composition on the efficiency of microbial adsorption are discussed. The growth of wine-spoiling yeasts and lactic acid bacteria were not inhibited by water- or ethanol-soluble extracts of the filter material.     

Mitochondrial DNA loss caused by ethanol in Saccharomyces flor yeasts.

Saccharomyces flor yeasts proliferate at the surface of sherry wine, which contains over 15% (vol) ethanol. Since ethanol is a powerful inducer of respiration-deficient mutants, this alcohol has been proposed to be the source of the high diversity found in the mitochondrial genomes of flor yeasts and other wine yeasts. Southern blot analysis suggests that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphic changes are due to minor lesions in the mitochondrial genome. As determined in this work by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, restriction analysis, and Southern blot analysis, ethanol-induced petite mutants completely lack mtDNA (rho zero). Ethanol-induced changes in the mitochondrial genome that could explain the observed mtDNA polymorphism in flor yeasts were not found. The transfer of two different mtDNA variants from flor yeasts to a laboratory strain conferred in both cases an increase in ethanol tolerance in the recipient strain, suggesting that mtDNAs are probably subjected to positive selection pressure concerning their ability to confer ethanol tolerance.     

Biotechnology of non-Saccharomyces yeasts—the basidiomycetes

Yeasts are the major producer of biotechnology products worldwide, exceeding production in capacity and economic revenues of other groups of industrial microorganisms. Yeasts have wide-ranging fundamental and industrial importance in scientific, food, medical, and agricultural disciplines (Fig. 1). Saccharomyces is the most important genus of yeast from fundamental and applied perspectives and has been expansively studied. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts (non-conventional yeasts) including members of the Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes also have substantial current utility and potential applicability in biotechnology. In an earlier mini-review, “Biotechnology of non-Saccharomyces yeasts—the ascomycetes” (Johnson Appl Microb Biotechnol 97: 503–517, 2013), the extensive biotechnological utility and potential of ascomycetous yeasts are described. Ascomycetous yeasts are particularly important in food and ethanol formation, production of single-cell protein, feeds and fodder, heterologous production of proteins and enzymes, and as model and fundamental organisms for the delineation of genes and their function in mammalian and human metabolism and disease processes. In contrast, the roles of basidiomycetous yeasts in biotechnology have mainly been evaluated only in the past few decades and compared to the ascomycetous yeasts and currently have limited industrial utility. From a biotechnology perspective, the basidiomycetous yeasts are known mainly for the production of enzymes used in pharmaceutical and chemical synthesis, for production of certain classes of primary and secondary metabolites such as terpenoids and carotenoids, for aerobic catabolism of complex carbon sources, and for bioremediation of environmental pollutants and xenotoxicants. Notwithstanding, the basidiomycetous yeasts appear to have considerable potential in biotechnology owing to their catabolic utilities, formation of enzymes acting on recalcitrant substrates, and through the production of unique primary and secondary metabolites. This and the earlier mini-review (Johnson Appl Microb Biotechnol 97:503–517, 2013) were motivated during the preparation and publication of the landmark three-volume set of “The yeasts: a taxonomic study, 5th edition” (Kurtzman et al. 2011a, b).     

Retention of Browning Compounds by Yeasts Involved in the Winemaking of Sherry Type Wines

Wine model solutions were used to study the ability of dehydrated yeasts to retain the brown products formed in the reaction between (+)-catechin and acetaldehyde. Saccharomyces cerevisiae races capensis and bayanus, two typical flor yeasts involved in the biological aging of sherry wines, had a higher capacity to retain coloured compounds than S. cerevisiae fermentative yeast. Of the flor yeasts, capensis exhibited a higher colour reduction capacity than bayanus. Such differences may account for the different rate at which browning compounds are removed at different times of year during the biological aging of wines.     

South Brazilian wines: culturable yeasts associated to bottled wines produced in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina

A comprehensive understanding of the presence and role of yeasts in bottled wines helps to know and control the organoleptic quality of the final product. The South Region of Brazil is an important wine producer, and the state of “Rio Grande do Sul” (RS) accounts for 90% of Brazilian wines. The state of “Santa Catarina” (SC) started the production in 1975, and is currently the fifth Brazilian producer. As there is little information about yeasts present in Brazilian wines, our main objective was to assess the composition of culturable yeasts associated to bottled wines produced in RS and SC, South of Brazil. We sampled 20 RS and 29 SC bottled wines produced between 2003 and 2011, and we isolated culturable yeasts in non-selective agar plates. We identified all isolates by sequencing of the D1/D2 domain of LSU rDNA or ITS1-5.8 S-ITS2 region, and comparison with type strain sequences deposited in GenBank database. Six yeast species were shared in the final product in both regions. We obtained two spoilage yeast profiles: RS with Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Pichia membranifaciens (Dekkera bruxellensis was found only in specific table wines); and SC with Dekkera bruxellensis and Pichia manshurica. Knowledge concerning the different spoilage profiles is important for winemaking practices in both regions.     

Continuous culture study of transient behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae growing on sucrose and fructose

During fully aerobic continuous growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on fructose- and sucrose-limited cultures, there exists the possibility of a number of distinct steady states at higher dilution rates. It is thus postulated that a number of discrete “states” exist for yeast cells under constant environmental conditions and that the particular “state” obtained is a function of the time spent under these conditions (adaptation) and the manner in which the steady state was approached. These observations are significant since they provide an insight into the large range of responses possible by yeasts in continuous cultures and may help to explain why unified views of sugar utilisation by yeasts have been so elusive.     

Multistate Luminescent Solar Concentrator “Smart” Windows

A supertwist liquid crystalline luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) “smart” window is fabricated which can be switched electrically between three states: one designed for increased light absorption and electrical generation (the “dark” state), one for transparency (the “light” state), and one for enhanced haziness (“scattering” state). In the scattering state, the absorption and edge emissions decrease while the face emissions are enhanced. This new LSC “smart” window state can find application as a privacy feature in housing, but could also allow for a new “smart” window application as a diffuse glazing to increase plant growth in horticultural applications.     

Electropositively charged filters for the recovery of yeasts and bacteria from beverages

The ability of electropositively charged filters to recover yeasts and lactic acid bacteria from a variety of beverages was evaluated. Filtration through 'Zeta plus', grade O5S, filters recovered nearly all of the yeast contaminants from table wines, sherry and port. Recovery of yeasts from cream liqueurs and egg-based beverages was also good but it was not possible to filter drinks containing orange juice, even through filters with nominal pore sizes of 2 to 10 micron. Lactic acid bacteria proved more difficult to recover than yeasts, even though smaller pore-sized filters (1 to 4 micron) were employed. However, a sufficiently high percentage of bacteria were recovered to justify use of these filters for quality assurance. The advantage of concentrating contaminants by using charged filters, and the influence of product composition on the efficiency of microbial adsorption are discussed. The growth of wine-spoiling yeasts and lactic acid bacteria were not inhibited by water- or ethanol-soluble extracts of the filter material.     

Features of the embryonic development of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dienia ophrydis</Emphasis> (Orchidaceae)

A new Dienia type of the embryogenesis of orchid plants differing from the Liparis type, earlier observed for the tribe Malaxideae, has been described in Dienia ophrydis (J. Köenig) Seidenf. (Orchidaceae). The Dienia-type embryogenesis is characterized by the following features: (1) development of a single-celled suspensor formed by a cb-derivative, (2) linear arrangement of embryo cells at the tetrad stage, (3) atypical origin of some tiers, and (4) no divisions of the ci and cb cells. A hypothesis about the convergent similarity between the Dienia and Caryophyllaceae types of embryogenesis has been proposed. A number of embryo sac and embryo structures typical for D. ophrydis, including “petassum,” “fitting,” and “suspensor mantle,” have been first described. A “petassum” represents the remains of cell walls of the pollen tube and probably the filamentous apparatus of synergids sealing the micropyle side of a fertilized embryo sac. The sole suspensor cell has a special appendix (“fitting”), which connects it to the embryo. The suspensor and the fitting are surrounded by a special envelope (“suspensor mantle”), which does not cover the basal cell of the embryo (ci).     

Structures of Arg‐ and Gln‐type bacterial cysteine dioxygenase homologs

In some bacteria, cysteine is converted to cysteine sulfinic acid by cysteine dioxygenases (CDO) that are only ～15–30% identical in sequence to mammalian CDOs. Among bacterial proteins having this range of sequence similarity to mammalian CDO are some that conserve an active site Arg residue (“Arg‐type” enzymes) and some having a Gln substituted for this Arg (“Gln‐type” enzymes). Here, we describe a structure from each of these enzyme types by analyzing structures originally solved by structural genomics groups but not published: a Bacillus subtilis “Arg‐type” enzyme that has cysteine dioxygenase activity (BsCDO), and a Ralstonia eutropha “Gln‐type” CDO homolog of uncharacterized activity (ReCDOhom). The BsCDO active site is well conserved with mammalian CDO, and a cysteine complex captured in the active site confirms that the cysteine binding mode is also similar. The ReCDOhom structure reveals a new active site Arg residue that is hydrogen bonding to an iron‐bound diatomic molecule we have interpreted as dioxygen. Notably, the Arg position is not compatible with the mode of Cys binding seen in both rat CDO and BsCDO. As sequence alignments show that this newly discovered active site Arg is well conserved among “Gln‐type” CDO enzymes, we conclude that the “Gln‐type” CDO homologs are not authentic CDOs but will have substrate specificity more similar to 3‐mercaptopropionate dioxygenases.     

Possible “atavistic” structures in human aneuploids

Comprehensive dissections of aneuploid (trisomy 18 and 13) neonates have revealed numerous supernumerary muscles that, although present in rare individuals, do not regularly occur in the human. These supernumerary muscles include: “platysma occipitalis,” “rhomboideus occipitalis,” “deltopectoral” complex, “latissimocondyloideus,” “pectorodorsalis,” “chondrohumeralis,” and “peroneus digiti quinti”; a few muscles, e.g., palmaris longus and brevis are lacking altogether. One specimen exhibited a “linguofacial trunk” arising from the external carotid artery. The supernumerary muscles found in these aneuploid specimens are regularly found in monkeys and sometimes in the great apes. It is suggested that these supernumerary muscles may be “atavistic” structures. Problems in establishing homologies between these muscles among primates are discussed, and mechanisms leading to the development of these muscles in human aneuploids are proposed.     

Distribution of the Character States “Early Sympetaly” and “Late Sympetaly” Within the “Sympetalae Tetracyclicae” and Presumably Allied Groups*

Within the Asteridae (“Sympetalae Tetracyclicae”) two main developmental patterns can be distinguished as regards the formation of corolla tubes, namely “early” and “late sympetaly”. Since the character “ontogeny of sympetaly”, after intensive studies, proved to be valuable for systematic considerations, we now recognize two blocks of orders within the Asteridae (and related groups): the Asteridae A-block and the Asteridae B-block (Figs. 82 and 83). By and large this bipartition referring mainly to the corolla tube development corresponds well with major lineages indentified by recent molecular data (see, e.g., Chase et al., 1993). Asteridae A-block is characterized predominantely by “late sympetaly” the “early sympetaly” in Rubiales and Oleales can be interpreted as derived within this block or can be linked with that in Asteridae B-block. Asteridae B-block is uniform throughout in its “early sympetaly”. In this block it is a primitive character, as judged from its occasional occurrence in the choripetalous Cornales and Apiales (Apiaceae, Araliaceae, Pittosporaceae), which can be regarded as ancestral for block B.     

Phosphatase activity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amoeba proteus</Emphasis> at pH 9.0

In the free-living ameba Amoeba proteus (strain B), after PAAG disk-electrophoresis of the homogenate supernatant, at using 1-naphthyl phosphate as substrate and pH 9.0, three forms of phosphatase activity were revealed; they were arbitrarily called “fast,” “intermediate,” and “slow” phosphatases. The fast phosphatase has been established to be a fraction of lysosomal acid phosphatase that preserves some low activity at alkaline pH values. The question as to which particular class the intermediate phosphatase belongs to has remained unanswered: it can be either acid phosphatase, or protein tyrosine phosphatase. Based on data of inhibitor analysis, broad substrate specificity, results of experiments with reactivation by Zn ions after inactivation with EDTA, and another localization in the ameba cell than of the fast and intermediate phosphatases, it is concluded that only the slow phosphatase can be classified as alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1).