Development and application of RAPD-SCAR markers to identify intra-species hybrids of industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae

To overcome the drawbacks of protoplast fusion in industrial breeding, strain-specific molecular markers were applied to select hybrids of industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to generate strain-specific RAPD markers for two industrial yeast strains, Z8 and Z9. For industrial and technical controls, two RAPD markers with non-coding regions were converted into stable Sequence Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) markers. Hybrids of Z8 and Z9 were obtained by protoplast fusion in combination with SCAR markers and were found to increase ethanol production by 4.3–8.1%. Results suggested that protoplast fusion could be combined with RAPD-SCAR molecular markers and applied in industrial breeding instead of auxotrophic markers.     

Screening and construction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with improved multi-tolerance and bioethanol fermentation performance

In this study, a systemic analysis was initially performed to investigate the relationship between fermentation-related stress tolerances and ethanol yield. Based on the results obtained, two elite Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, Z8 and Z15, with variant phenotypes were chosen to construct strains with improved multi-stress tolerance by genome shuffling in combination with optimized initial selection. After three rounds of genome shuffling, a shuffled strain, YZ1, which surpasses its parent strains in osmotic, heat, and acid tolerances, was obtained. Ethanol yields of YZ1 were 3.11%, 10.31%, and 10.55% higher than those of its parent strains under regular, increased heat, and high gravity fermentation conditions, respectively. YZ1 was applied to bioethanol production at an industrial scale. Results demonstrated that the variant phenotypes from available yeast strains could be used as parent stock for yeast breeding and that the genome shuffling approach is sufficiently powerful in combining suitable phenotypes in a single strain.     

Drug resistance marker-aided genome shuffling to improve acetic acid tolerance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

Acetic acid existing in a culture medium is one of the most limiting constraints in yeast growth and viability during ethanol fermentation. To improve acetic acid tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, a drug resistance marker-aided genome shuffling approach with higher screen efficiency of shuffled mutants was developed in this work. Through two rounds of genome shuffling of ultraviolet mutants derived from the original strain 308, we obtained a shuffled strain YZ2, which shows significantly faster growth and higher cell viability under acetic acid stress. Ethanol production of YZ2 (within 60 h) was 21.6% higher than that of 308 when 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid was added to fermentation medium. Membrane integrity, higher in vivo activity of the H⁺-ATPase, and lower oxidative damage after acetic acid treatment are the possible reasons for the acetic acid-tolerance phenotype of YZ2. These results indicated that this novel genome shuffling approach is powerful to rapidly improve the complex traits of industrial yeast strains.     

Comparative functional genomics to reveal the molecular basis of phenotypic diversities and guide the genetic breeding of industrial yeast strains

An understanding of the genetic basis underlying the phenotypic variations of yeast strains would guide the breeding of this useful microorganism. Here, comparative functional genomics (CFG) of two bioethanol Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (YJS329 and ZK2) with different stress tolerances and ethanol fermentation performances were performed. Our analysis indicated that different patterns of gene expression in the central carbon metabolism, antioxidative factors, and membrane compositions of these two strains are the main contributors to their various traits. Some of the differently expressed genes were directly caused by the genomic structural variations between YJS329 and ZK2. Moreover, CFG of these two strains also led to novel insights into the mechanism of stress tolerance in yeast. For example, it was found that more oleic acid in the plasma membrane contributes to the acetic acid tolerance of yeast. Based on the genetic information particular to each strain, strategies to improve their adaptability and ethanol fermentation performances were designed and confirmed. Thus, CFG could not only help reveal basis of phenotypic diversities but also guide the genetic breeding of industrial microorganisms.     

Genetic characterization and modification of a bioethanol-producing yeast strain

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from different sources generally show extensive genetic and phenotypic diversity. Understanding how genomic...