Genetics of adaptation of pathogenic and commensal Saccharomyces yeasts

Due to its strong fermentation ability the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker’s yeast, has been widely used in beer and winemaking as well as in the production of vinegar and bioethanol. Different S. cerevisiae strains are also used as feedingstuff for the farm animals, or during the cleaning of wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. In medicine, some strains, the most famous one often come under the name S. boulardii, are used as probiotic drugs. Recent results have shown that S. cerevisiae is an important part of the human microbiome and even more the cases of the opportunistic infections have been reported. Despite important research advances in the field of human mycobiome, some questions are still open, such as the origin of the S. cerevisiae strains in the human host, or whether S. cerevisiae is a transient or already established part of human microflora. In this project we want to answer these questions at least partially by using different molecular markers and a large number of yeast strains of different origins. The aim of this project is to select genetically and phylogenetically closely related clinical and commercial strains and characterize their genomic and chromosomal alterations in order to provide a valuable insight into the origin of S. cerevisiae strains and their microevolution in the human host.