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Eukaryotic Cell doi:10.1128/EC.00338-06
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Genome survey sequencing of the wine spoilage yeast Dekkera (Brettanomyces) bruxellensis

Megan Woolfit, Elbieta Rozpdowska, Jure Pikur, and Kenneth H. Wolfe^*

Department of Genetics, Smurfit Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland, Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: khwolfe{at}tcd.ie.

	Abstract

The hemiascomycete yeast Dekkera bruxellensis, also known as Brettanomyces bruxellensis, is a major cause of wine spoilage worldwide. Wines infected with D. bruxellensis develop distinctive, unpleasant aromas due to volatile phenols produced by this species, which is highly ethanol tolerant and facultatively anaerobic. Despite its importance, however, D. bruxellensis has been poorly genetically characterised until now. We performed genome survey sequencing of a wine strain of D. bruxellensis to obtain 0.4X coverage of the genome. We identified approximately 3000 genes, averaging 49% amino acid identity to their Saccharomyces cerevisiae orthologs and with similar intron content. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses suggest that the relationship between D. bruxellensis, S. cerevisiae and Candida albicans is close to a trichotomy. The estimated rate of chromosomal rearrangement in D. bruxellensis is slower than that calculated for C. albicans, while its rate of amino acid evolution is somewhat higher. The proteome of D. bruxellensis is enriched for transporters and genes involved in nitrogen and lipid metabolism, among other functions, which may reflect adaptations to its low-nutrient, high-ethanol niche. We also identified an adenyl deaminase gene that has high similarity to a gene in the bacterium Burkholderia and appears to be the result of horizontal gene transfer. These data provide a resource for further analyses of the population genetics and evolution of D. bruxellensis, and of the genetic bases of its physiological capabilities.