O-2
Global analysis of yeast gene expression during a brewery
fermentation. Elucidation of the complete DNA sequence of the yeast Saccharomyces
cerevisiae and the advent of DNA microarray technology have revolutionized
the fields of genetics and molecular and cellular biology. These discoveries
have made it possible to study the expression of all genes of yeast in a single
experiment. This approach has provided valuable insights into gene function and
the involvement of specific genes in various cellular processes. To gain a more
complete understanding of yeast physiology during brewery fermentation, DNA
microarrays were used to determine the genome-wide patterns of gene expression
during a lager beer fermentation. Of the approximately 6,200 genes of yeast,
approximately 1,700 were induced greater than 4-fold and approximately 2,100
were repressed greater than 4-fold during the course of fermentation. The
patterns of gene expression correlated with various landmark events of
fermentation, including the initiation and cessation of cell growth, sugar
consumption, and alcohol production.
Tom Pugh is currently the Group Leader of the Process Microbiology and
Fermentation Group in the Research and Development department of the Miller
Brewing Company. Prior to joining Miller in 1999, he worked for 8 years at
Anheuser-Busch as a Principal Research Scientist in the Technical Center and a
Group Leader in the Research and Development department. Tom earned his B.S.
degree in Microbiology from Indiana University, and then his Ph.D. degree in
Microbiology from the University of Notre Dame. He then went on to complete a
three-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan in the
laboratory of Dr. John Pringle.
TOM PUGH (1), Barbara Dunn (2), Andrew Venteicher (2), Sandra Metzner (2),
Patricia Bower (1), Chanda Bondre (2), John Seabrooks (1), David Ryder (1),
David Botstein (2), and Patrick Brown (3,4). (1) Research and Development
Department, Miller Brewing Company; (2) Department of Genetics, Stanford
University School of Medicine; (3) Department of Biochemistry, Stanford
University School of Medicine; and (4) Howard Hughes Medical Institute.