A natural chimeric yeast containing genetic material from three species

Abstract

The Saccharomyces sp. CID1 isolate (CBS 8614) and several other Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts were analysed for their mitochondrial and nuclear genes. The data show that Saccharomyces sp. CID1, found so far only in one location in Europe, is a natural hybrid between three different Saccharomyces yeast species. Two of them, Saccharomyces cerevisiae-like and Saccharomyces bayanus-like, are ubiquitous and contributed parts of the nuclear genome; the third, Saccharomyces sp. IFO 1802-like, which has been found only in Japan, contributed the mitochondrial DNA molecule. These data suggest that the yeast cell is able to accommodate, express and propagate genetic material that originates from different species, and the very existence of the resulting natural hybrids indicates that such hybrids are well adapted to their habitats.