Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the physiological and genetic stability of hybrids of industrial wine yeasts Saccharomyces sensu stricto complex subjected to acidic stress during fermentation.
Methods and results: Laboratory-constructed yeast hybrids, one intraspecific Saccharomyces cerevisiae × S. cerevisiae and three interspecific S. cerevisiae × Saccharomyces bayanus, were subcultured in aerobic or anaerobic conditions in media with or without l-malic acid. Changes in the biochemical profiles, karyotypes and mitochondrial DNA profiles of the segregates were assessed after 50-190 generations. All yeast segregates showed a tendency to increase the range of the tested compounds utilized as sole carbon sources. Interspecific hybrids were alloaneuploid and their genomes tended to undergo extensive rearrangement especially during fermentation. The karyotypes of segregates lost up to four and appearance up to five bands were recorded. The changes in their mtDNA patterns were even broader reaching 12 missing and six additional bands. These hybrids acquired the ability to sporulate and significantly changed their biochemical profiles. The alloaneuploid intraspecific S. cerevisiae hybrid was characterized by high genetic stability despite the phenotypic changes. L-malic acid was not found to affect the extent of genomic changes of the hybrids, which suggests that their demalication ability is combined with resistance to acidic stress.
Conclusions: The results reveal the plasticity and extent of changes of chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA of interspecific hybrids of industrial wine yeast especially under anaerobiosis. They imply that karyotyping and restriction analysis of mitochondrial DNA make it possible to quickly assess the genetic stability of genetically modified industrial wine yeasts but may not be applied as the only method for their identification and discrimination.
Significance and impact of the study: Laboratory-constructed interspecific hybrids of industrial strains may provide a model for studying the adaptive evolution of wine yeasts under fermentative stress.
© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2011 The Society for Applied Microbiology.