Yeast sheds new light on evolution

A team of scientists has studied the humble baker's yeast to shed new light on how new species may evolve.

The work by scientists at the University of Manchester, Institute of Food Research and University of Leicester offers clues to a puzzle that has mystified biologists since Darwin's time.

"A biological species has a unique genetic code and is only able to mate with organisms of the same species. Until now, we have not understood how the barriers to successful mating have arisen", said Dr Ian Roberts, Curator of the National Collection of Yeast Cultures at the Institute of Food Research. "This research has shown that it is not just the sequence of the genetic code that defines a species, but also the way the genes are organised", he said.

The researchers altered the arrangement of baker's yeast chromosomes so that they look like the chromosomes of another species in the same family. They were then able to mate the engineered organism with a different species to produce healthy hybrids that were twenty or thirty times more likely to be fertile.

"Our engineered baker's yeast calls into question how we define species," says Professor Steve Oliver from the University of Manchester, who led the research team. "We have shown that chromosome arrangement plays a key role is differentiating between species, so by simply changing the arrangement of the chromosomes are we effectively creating a new species?"

The work, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust, has many implications including managing inherited diseases and understanding the safety of genetically engineered crops.

 

Notes to editors

• Please contact Zoe Dunford, IFR Media Manager, for more information: 01603 255111 / zoe.dunford@ifr.ac.uk
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• Press release from USA here

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