The Genome of the CTG(Ser1) Yeast Scheffersomyces stipitis Is Plastic

Microorganisms need to adapt to environmental changes, and genome plasticity can lead to rapid adaptation to hostile environments by increasing genetic diversity. Here, we investigate genome plasticity in the CTG(Ser1) yeast , an organism with an enormous potential for second-generation biofuel production. We demonstrate that has an intrinsically plastic genome and that different isolates have genomes with distinct chromosome organizations. Real-time evolution experiments show that genome plasticity is common and rapid since extensive genomic changes with fitness benefits are detected following evolution experiments. Hybrid MinION Nanopore and Illumina genome sequencing identify retrotransposons as major drivers of genome diversity. Indeed, the number and position of retrotransposons are different in different isolates, and retrotransposon-rich regions of the genome are sites of chromosome rearrangements. Our findings provide important insights into the adaptation strategies of the CTG(Ser1) yeast clade and have critical implications in the development of second-generation biofuels. These data highlight that genome plasticity is an essential factor for developing sustainable platforms for second-generation biofuels production. Genomes contain genes encoding the information needed to build the organism and allow it to grow and develop. Genomes are described as stable structures where genes have specific positions within a chromosome. Changes in gene dosage and position are viewed as harmful. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that genome plasticity can benefit microbial organisms that need to adapt rapidly to environmental changes. Mechanisms of genome plasticity are still poorly understood. This study focuses on , a yeast that holds great potential for second-generation biofuel production generated from forestry and agriculture waste. We demonstrate that chromosomes are easily reshuffled and that chromosome reshuffling is linked to adaptation to hostile environments. Genome sequencing demonstrates that mobile genetic elements, called transposons, mediate genome reshuffling. These data highlight that understanding genome plasticity is important for developing sustainable platforms for second-generation biofuels production.