Genome Research article identifies opportunities for more robust ethanol yeast strains, higher yields

In the online journal Genome Research, two studies have identified genomic properties of industrial fuel yeasts that likely gave rise to more robust strains. The group’s work revealed that portions of the genome are plastic compared to other yeast strains, specifically the peripheral regions of chromosomes, where they observed a number of sequence rearrangements.

According to the research team, yeast strains thriving in the harsh conditions of industrial fuel ethanol production are much more hardy than their beer brewing counterparts, and surprisingly little is known about how these yeast adapted to the industrial environment.

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