The yeast lifecycle and DNA array technology

The genome variability and meiotic gene expression patterns in two unrelated laboratory yeast strains, SK1 and W303, have been characterized using high-density oligonucleotide arrays. The statistical analysis and comparison of the data has allowed identification of: (1) genes with functional importance to meiosis and sporulation in yeast and (2) genes expressed in a strain-specific manner. The genome-wide data also reveal potential reasons why these strains display significant differences in the ability to make fertile spores. Molecularly tagged yeast deletion strains have been used to determine the contribution of each gene to the execution of the sporulation/germination pathway. The application of genetics and the new genomic technologies have allowed a quantum jump in our understanding of yeast molecular biology. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2002) 28, 186–191 DOI: 10.1038/sj/jim/7000200 Received 05 November 2000/ Accepted in revised form 26 June 2001