Abstract
Yeast sporulation efficiency is a quantitative trait and is known to vary among experimental populations and natural isolates. Some studies have uncovered the genetic basis of this variation and have identified the role of sporulation genes (IME1, RME1) and sporulation-associated genes (FKH2, PMS1, RAS2, RSF1, SWS2), as well as non-sporulation pathway genes (MKT1, TAO3) in maintaining this variation. However, these studies have been done mostly in experimental populations. Sporulation is a response to nutrient deprivation. Unlike laboratory strains, natural isolates have likely undergone multiple selections for quick adaptation to varying nutrient conditions. As a result, sporulation efficiency in natural isolates may have different genetic factors contributing to phenotypic variation. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains in the genetically and environmentally diverse SGRP collection, we have identified genetic loci associated with sporulation efficiency variation in a set of sporulation and sporulation-associated genes. Using two independent methods for association mapping and correcting for population structure biases, our analysis identified two linked clusters containing 4 non-synonymous mutations in genes – HOS4, MCK1, SET3, and SPO74. Five regulatory polymorphisms in five genes such as MLS1 and CDC10 were also identified as putative candidates. Our results provide candidate genes contributing to phenotypic variation in the sporulation efficiency of natural isolates of yeast.
Highlights
Sporulation is a response to nutrient deprivation in which yeast exits mitotic cell cycle and enters into meiosis, leading to spore formation [1]
As natural isolates face strong selection pressure to adapt to nutrient changes in their environment, it is reasonable that mechanisms causing variation in sporulation efficiency in natural isolates may be very different from those operating in laboratory strains
Sporulation Efficiency Variation in SGRP Collection Strains To uncover the genetic basis of variation in natural isolates, we used the SGRP collection, which consists of 36 sequenced, genetically diverse and highly polymorphic S. cerevisiae strains
Summary
Sporulation is a response to nutrient deprivation in which yeast exits mitotic cell cycle and enters into meiosis, leading to spore formation [1]. Sporulation efficiency, defined as the fraction of cells that sporulate in a culture, varies among strains and has been identified as a quantitative trait that is modulated by at least 9 genes [6,7,8]. Many of these studies have been performed using laboratory strains [6,7], which face distinct selective pressures as compared to wild type strains. As natural isolates face strong selection pressure to adapt to nutrient changes in their environment, it is reasonable that mechanisms causing variation in sporulation efficiency in natural isolates may be very different from those operating in laboratory strains
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