Genomic Adaptations of Saccharomyces Genus to Wine Niche

Abstract

Wine yeast have been exposed to harsh conditions for millennia, which have led to adaptive evolutionary strategies. Thus, wine yeasts from Saccharomyces genus are considered an interesting and highly valuable model to study human-drive domestication processes. The rise of whole-genome sequencing technologies together with new long reads platforms has provided new understanding about the population structure and the evolution of wine yeasts. Population genomics studies have indicated domestication fingerprints in wine yeast, including nucleotide variations, chromosomal rearrangements, horizontal gene transfer or hybridization, among others. These genetic changes contribute to genetically and phenotypically distinct strains. This review will summarize and discuss recent research on evolutionary trajectories of wine yeasts, highlighting the domestication hallmarks identified in this group of yeast.

Keywords: chromosomal rearrangements; copy number variation; domestication; horizontal gene transfer; hybridization; wine yeast.

Figure 1

Schematic cladogram indicating phylogenetic relationships within Saccharomyces genus, isolation source and frequently isolated hybrids (adapted from Boynton and Greig, (2014) [38]).

Figure 2

Schematic view of chromosomal rearrangements identified in sulphite-resistant strains of S. cerevisiae and S. uvarum species. VIIItXVI was generated by the homology among the promoters of ECM34 and SSU1 genes. Several 76-bp (in purple) repetitions were found in the promoters, together with a positive correlation between the number of 76-bp repeats and sulfite resistance. XVtXVI involves the ADR1 and FZF1 binding sites of the promoter of ADH1 and SSU1 genes, respectively. InvXVI was produced by microhomology between the sequences of the regulatory regions of the genes SSU1 and GCR1 genes. The translocations found in S. uvarum, VIIXVI and XIXVI, are likely mediated by microhomology regions between BRP1-SSU1 and FBA1-SSU1, respectively.