Australian researchers develop new-to-nature yeast chromosome

In Australia, a completely new-to-nature yeast chromosome has been developed, paving the way for engineered yeast to be applied to an array of industrial applications. 

Scientists from the ARC Center of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) have made a major breakthrough in yeast genome engineering, outlined in a recent issue of the journal Nature Communications.

This body of work is an extension of a global engineered yeast project, Sc2.0, which is attempting to synthesize the entire genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The project aims to help researchers understand how a yeast genome is organized and how genomes might be improved to create more robust organisms. It also provides a foundation for future specific purposes, such as creating new medications or biofuels. Macquarie University, the ARC Center of Excellence in Synthetic Biology and the AWRI are partners in the Sc2.0 collaboration.