Project description:Natural genetic variation can cause significant differences in gene expression, but little is known about the polymorphisms that affect gene regulation. We analyzed regulatory variation in a cross between laboratory and wild strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Clustering and linkage analysis defined groups of coregulated genes and the loci involved in their regulation. Most expression differences mapped to trans-acting loci. Positional cloning and functional assays showed that polymorphisms in GPA1 and AMN1 affect expression of genes involved in pheromone response and daughter cell separation, respectively. We also asked whether particular classes of genes were more likely to contain trans-regulatory polymorphisms. Notably, transcription factors showed no enrichment, and trans-regulatory variation seems to be broadly dispersed across classes of genes with different molecular functions Keywords: other
Project description:To characterize the ecological interactions among S. cerevisiae strains coming from the same geographical area, we examined the fitness of two natural isolates from San Giovese grapes, alone or in competition, in synthetic wine must (SWM). We performed genome-wide analyses in order to identify the genes involved in yeast competition and cooperation.
Project description:Natural genetic variation can cause significant differences in gene expression, but little is known about the polymorphisms that affect gene regulation. We analyzed regulatory variation in a cross between laboratory and wild strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Clustering and linkage analysis defined groups of coregulated genes and the loci involved in their regulation. Most expression differences mapped to trans-acting loci. Positional cloning and functional assays showed that polymorphisms in GPA1 and AMN1 affect expression of genes involved in pheromone response and daughter cell separation, respectively. We also asked whether particular classes of genes were more likely to contain trans-regulatory polymorphisms. Notably, transcription factors showed no enrichment, and trans-regulatory variation seems to be broadly dispersed across classes of genes with different molecular functions
Project description:Genetic variation that underlies phenotypic differences provides the material on which evolutionary selection acts. Gene duplication/amplification is one type of genetic variation that can allow an organism to rapidly respond to environmental changes by increasing gene dosage. While the potential benefits afforded by gene amplification during evolution are well known, there is also a significant fitness cost to increasing gene dosage including resource shortages and burdening cellular systems. Although the evolutionary importance of gene duplication has long been appreciated, little is known about natural variation in the tolerance of duplication of specific genes. To investigate this question, we expressed the same high-copy gene overexpression (OE) library in a laboratory strain and 14 different wild S. cerevisiae isolates, together representing 4 lineages and several admixed strains, to explore the natural variation in tolerance to gene OE. Our results distinguish universal effects common to many studied strains versus strain-specific effects including broad-scale and gene-specific differences in the consequences of OE. These results raise important implications for the accessibility of evolutionary trajectories afforded by gene OE, depending on genetic background.