Advanced technologies and mechanisms for yeast evolutionary engineering

Abstract

In vitro evolution is a powerful technique for the engineering of yeast strains to study cellular mechanisms associated with evolutionary adaptation; strains with desirable traits for industrial processes can also be generated. There are two distinct approaches to generate evolved strains in vitro: The sequential transfer of cells in the stationary phase into fresh medium or the continuous growth of cells in a chemostat bioreactor via the constant supply of fresh medium. In culture, evolutionary forces drive diverse adaptive mechanisms within the cell to overcome environmental or intracellular stressors. Especially, this engineering strategy has expanded to the field of human cell lines; the understanding of such adaptive mechanisms provides promising targets for the treatment of human genetic diseases and cancer. Therefore, this technology has the potential to generate numerous industrial, medical, and academic applications.