New Advances in Genetic Studies to Understand Yeast Adaptation to Extreme and Fermentative Environments

Recent advances in sequencing technologies and their utilization in genome sequencing and gene expression profiling, together with high-throughput platforms for large scale phenotyping, have increased our understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationship. In this way, RNA-seq, linkage analyses, and genome re-sequencing projects have identified genes, genetic variants, and pathways underlying yeast survival in extreme conditions, such as high & low temperatures, hyper & hyposaline environments, low carbon and nitrogen availability, heavy metal exposure, and UV Radiation. Despite a large number of studies, majority of them have focused in a handful set of strains, mainly S. cerevisiae, C. albicans, and K. pastoris, ignoring the immense genetic and phenotypic diversity available among other unicellular eukaryotes belonging to the Ascomycota or Basidiomycota phyla. Therefore, a promising step towards disentangling and exploring the potential adaptation of these phyla, and understanding how yeast responds to extreme conditions would be to extend and increase the number of species, hybrids and strains studied.

This Research Topic aims to gather together recent reports in the field using different omics and molecular genetic technologies focusing on different yeast species & strains to understand and uncover how yeast responds to different extreme environments, such as harsh host condition and/or stressful fermentative conditions. We welcome original research, brief reports and review articles covering recent yeast genetics research on environmental adaptation.