U.K. yeast collection is re-launched.

The U.K.'s largest collection of yeast strains, the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC), housed at the Institute of Food Research (IFR), has been re-launched to highlight yeast's current and emerging applications. Yeasts are the most important organisms in biotechnology, acting as cell factories that produce proteins, flavors, vitamins and functional foods.

The diversity of the 3,200 strains in the collection has helped IFR scientists to develop new techniques for rapid yeast identification and describe novel species that pose both benefits and threats to food production. The rarity of some of the strains makes them vital as reference material for research and potential applications.

Yeast can contribute to cutting-edge science. In 2003, new insights into evolution and speciation were published showing how different species may arise. Research on yeast is set to push the boundaries in the fields of biotechnology and functional genomics. The fundamentals of genome variation in yeast are the same as the fundamentals of genome variation in humans, and much can be learned from undertaking a comparative analysis.

The first complete genetic-related wiring diagram will probably be for a yeast. By organizing genetic information into a wiring diagram, the functions and interactions of genes can be used to generate a computer model of a living cell. Wiring diagrams have the potential to solve any biological problem, including cellular approaches to treat diseases, researchers believe.

Yeasts have "learned" to manipulate human cells just as effectively as humans have learned to manipulate yeast cells. By selecting yeast cells that adhere to specific human cell types, it may become possible to deliver drugs to defined regions of the gastrointestinal tract.

Genetic research has revealed how yeast genomes can reorganize during food production to form new hybrids, such as preservative resistant species. Knowledge of genome organization may also yield the possibility of screening for designer yeasts with new commercially valuable characteristics. Scientists have used their understanding of yeast genetics to adapt a DNA amplification and sequencing method for rapid yeast identification. It targets a region in the yeast genome that varies between species. The target DNA is amplified so identification of contaminated products can be made with just a few yeast cells.

Further information. Ian Roberts, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UA, England, U.K.; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail]; URL: www.ncyc.co.uk.