Chromosome instability in industrial strains
of Saccharomyces cerevisiae batch cultivated
under laboratory conditions

B.T.L. Lucena^1,2, E.A. Silva-Filho², M.R.M. Coimbra¹, J.O.F. Morais³,
D.A. Simões^2,4 and M.A. Morais Jr.^1,2

¹Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil
²Setor de Biologia Molecular - LIKA, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil
³Departamento de Antibióticos, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil
⁴Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil
Corresponding author: M.A. Morais Jr.
E-mail: marcos.morais@pesquisador.cnpq.br

Genet. Mol. Res. 6 (4): 1072-1084 (2007)
Received August 20, 2007
Accepted October 27, 2007
Published December 4, 2007

ABSTRACT. Industrial ethanol fermentation is a complex microbiological process to which yeast cells must adapt for survival. One of the mechanisms for adaptation is thought to involve chromosome rearrangements. We found that changes in chromosome banding patterns measured by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis can also be produced in laboratory media under simulated industrial conditions. Based on analysis of their generational variation, we found that these chromosome changes were specific to the genetic backgrounds of the initial strains. We conclude that chromosome rearrangements could be one of the factors involved in yeast cell adaptation to the industrial environment.

Key words: Chromosome instability, Ethanol fermentation, Karyotyping, Polymerase chain reaction-fingerprinting, Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, Recombination rate