AUTHOR=Pfeiffer Thomas , Morley Annabel 

TITLE=An evolutionary perspective on the Crabtree effect

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

VOLUME=1

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2014.00017

DOI=10.3389/fmolb.2014.00017

ISSN=2296-889X

ABSTRACT=<p>The capability to ferment sugars into ethanol is a key metabolic trait of yeasts. Crabtree-positive yeasts use fermentation even in the presence of oxygen, where they could, in principle, rely on the respiration pathway. This is surprising because fermentation has a much lower ATP yield than respiration (2 ATP vs. approximately 18 ATP per glucose). While genetic events in the evolution of the Crabtree effect have been identified, the selective advantages provided by this trait remain controversial. In this review we analyse explanations for the emergence of the Crabtree effect from an evolutionary and game-theoretical perspective. We argue that an increased rate of ATP production is likely the most important factor behind the emergence of the Crabtree effect.</p>