''Saccharomyces kudriavzevii'', is a species of

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

in the ''Saccharomyces sensu stricto'' complex. Its type strain is NCYC 2889T. It is used in production of alcoholic beverages, including pinot noir wine, and hybrids of it are used in beer brewing. It is isolated widely from the bark of oak trees (Quercus family).

Etymology

“''Kudriavzevii”'' was named in honor of VI Kudriavzev, a Russian scientist who worked with yeast taxonomy and ecology, and also played a large role in introducing the wild strain of ''S. paradoxus'' into science. Other names include: · ''S. kudriavzevii'' is the common scientific name · Pinot Noir yeast

History

''Saccharomyces kudriavzevii'' was initially isolated from decayed leaf (Kaneko & Banno, 1991) but is often isolated from bark of oak trees.

Description

The species belongs to the ''

Saccharomyces ''Saccharomyces'' is a genus of fungi that includes many species of yeasts. ''Saccharomyces'' is from Greek σάκχαρον (sugar) and μύκης (fungus) and means ''sugar fungus''. Many members of this genus are considered very important in f ...

'' genus and can be isolated from a variety of substrates and is unique in that it cannot live on galactose and is cryotolerant.

Biology

Ecology

It has mainly been isolated from the leaves and bark of oak trees. Optimal growth for many yeasts occurs at 30 – 35 °C, but ''S. kudriavzevii'' is adapted to grow at much colder temperatures. Two related wild populations have been found, one in Europe, and one in Asia, but it has never been isolated on other continents.

Hybridization

Many species within the ''Saccharomyces sensu stricto'' clade have been found to hybridize with other species, ''S. kudriavzevii'' included. In particular, it hybridizes with ''S. cerevisiae''.Belloch, C., Pérez-Torrado, R., González, S. S., JoseE, P.-O., García-Martínez, J., Querol, A., & Barrio, E. (2009). Chimeric genomes of natural hybrids Of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii. ''Applied and Environmental Microbiology'', ''75''(8), 2534–2544. http://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02282-08 This hybridization is unique in that it likely resulted from a single hybridization even involving creation of chimeric chromosomes holding some ''S. kudriavzevii'' genes and some ''S. cerevisiae'' genes.

In biological research

The hybridization tendencies of ''S. kudriavzevii'' have potential for use in investigation regarding yeast evolution, which is commonly used as a model system for evolution in general. Research on ''S. kudriavzevii'' has offered insights on how yeast evolve to survive in new environments and also how they hybridize to form new species.

Uses

''S. kudriavzevii'' is commonly used in production of alcoholic beverages such as pinot noir wine. It can be hybridized with ''S. cerevisiae'' and such hybrids are widely used in traditional Belgian beer brewing.

References

External links

UniProt entry
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7396601 kudriavzevii Yeasts used in brewing Fungi described in 2000