Use of population genetics to derive nonrecombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that grow using xylose as a sole carbon source.

According to scientific dogma, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot grow utilizing xylose as a sole carbon source. Although recombinant DNA technology has overcome this deficiency to some degree, efficient utilization of xylose appears to require complex global changes in gene expression. This complexity provides a significant challenge to the development of yeasts suitable for the utilization of xylose-rich lignocellulosic substrates.

Yeast differentiation using histone promoter sequences.

Aims: To evaluate a new platform for yeast differentiation based on histone promoter regions.

Methods And Results: The histone gene amino acid sequences of a wide phylogenetic range of organisms were aligned, and primers designed that were capable of amplifying the divergent promoters of the H3-H4 and H2a-H2b loci from yeast. Analysis indicated that the promoter regions were variable in length between species and represented rapidly changing sequences flanked by highly conserved sequences.