Yeast Genomics for Bread, Beer, Biology, Bucks and Breath

Abstract

The rapid advances and scale up of projects in DNA sequencing dur- ing the past two decades have produced complete genome sequences of several eukaryotic species. The versatile genetic malleability of the yeast, and the high degree of conservation between its cellular processes and those of human cells have made it a model of choice for pioneering research in molecular and cell biology. The complete sequence of yeast genome has proven to be extremely useful as a reference towards the sequences of human and for providing systems to explore key gene functions. Yeast has been a ' legendary model ' for new technologies and gain- ing new biological insights into basic biological sciences and biotechnology. This chapter describes the awesome power of yeast genetics, genomics and proteomics in understanding of biological function. The applications of yeast as a screening tool to the field of drug discovery and development are highlighted and the tradi- tional importance of yeast for bakers and brewers is discussed.