Draft Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain Awamori Number 101, Commonly Used to Make Awamori, a Traditional Spirit, in Okinawa, Japan.

We report here the draft genome sequence for Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Awamori number 101, an industrial strain used for producing awamori, a distilled alcohol beverage. It was constructed by assembling the short reads obtained by next-generation sequencing. The 315 contigs constitute an 11.5-Mbp genome sequence encoding 6,185 predicted proteins.

Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus gorillae Strain KZ01T, Isolated from a Western Lowland Gorilla.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus gorillae strain KZ01(T) isolated from a western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). This genome sequence will be helpful for the comparative genomics between human and nonhuman primate-associated Lactobacillus.

Deep sequencing, profiling and detailed annotation of microRNAs in Takifugu rubripes.

BACKGROUND: microRNAs (miRNAs) in fish have not been as extensively studied as those in mammals. The fish species Takifugu rubripes is an intensively studied model organism whose genome has been sequenced. The T. rubripes genome is approximately eight times smaller than the human genome, but has a similar repertoire of protein-coding genes. Therefore, it is useful for identifying non-coding genes, including miRNA genes. To identify miRNA expression patterns in different organs of T. rubripes and give fundamental information to aid understanding of miRNA populations in this species, we extracted small RNAs from tissues and performed deep sequencing analysis to profile T. rubripes miRNAs. These data will be of assistance in functional studies of miRNAs in T. rubripes. RESULTS: After analyzing a total of 139 million reads, we found miRNA species in nine tissues (fast and slow muscles, heart, eye, brain, intestine, liver, ovaries, and testes). We identified 1420 known miRNAs, many of which were strongly expressed in certain tissues with expression patterns similar to those described for other animals in previous reports. Most miRNAs were expressed in tissues other than the ovaries or testes. However, some miRNA families were highly abundant in the gonads, but expressed only at low levels in somatic tissue, suggesting specific function in germ cells. The most abundant isomiRs (miRNA variants) of many miRNAs had identical sequences in the 5' region. However, isomiRs of some miRNAs, including fru-miR-462-5p, varied in the 5' region in some tissues, suggesting that they may target different mRNA transcripts. Longer small RNAs (26-31 nt), which were abundant in the gonads, may be putative piRNAs because of their length and their origin from repetitive elements. Additionally, our data include possible novel classes of small RNAs. CONCLUSIONS: We elucidated miRNA expression patterns in various organs of T. rubripes. Most miRNA sequences are conserved in vertebrates, indicating that the basic functions of vertebrate miRNAs share a common evolution. Some miRNA species exhibit different distributions of isomiRs between tissues, suggesting that they have a broad range of functions.

Isolation and characterization of awamori yeast mutants with L-leucine accumulation that overproduce isoamyl alcohol.

Awamori shochu is a traditional distilled alcoholic beverage made from steamed rice in Okinawa, Japan. Although it has a unique aroma that is distinguishable from that of other types of shochu, no studies have been reported on the breeding of awamori yeasts. In yeast, isoamyl alcohol (i-AmOH), known as the key flavor of bread, is mainly produced from α-ketoisocaproate in the pathway of L-leucine biosynthesis, which is regulated by end-product inhibition of α-isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS). Here, we isolated mutants resistant to the L-leucine analog 5,5,5-trifluoro-DL-leucine (TFL) derived from diploid awamori yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of the mutants accumulated a greater amount of intracellular L-leucine, and among them, one mutant overproduced i-AmOH in awamori brewing. This mutant carried an allele of the LEU4 gene encoding the Ser542Phe/Ala551Val variant IPMS, which is less sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-leucine. Interestingly, we found that either of the constituent mutations (LEU4(S542F) and LEU4(A551V)) resulted in the TFL tolerance of yeast cells and desensitization to L-leucine feedback inhibition of IPMS, leading to intracellular L-leucine accumulation. Homology modeling also suggested that L-leucine binding was drastically inhibited in the Ser542Phe, Ala551Val, and Ser542Phe/Ala551Val variants due to steric hindrance in the cavity of IPMS. As we expected, awamori yeast cells expressing LEU4(S542F), LEU4(A551V), and LEU4(S542F/A551V) showed a prominent increase in extracellular i-AmOH production, compared with that of cells carrying the vector only. The approach described here could be a practical method for the breeding of novel awamori yeasts to expand the diversity of awamori taste and flavor.

Draft Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae NAM34-4C, a Lactic Acid-Assimilating Industrial Yeast Strain.

We determined the genome sequence of industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain NAM34-4C, which would be useful for bioethanol production. The approximately 11.5-Mb draft genome sequence of NAM34-4C will provide remarkable insights into metabolic engineering for effective production of bioethanol from biomass.

Draft Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae IR-2, a Useful Industrial Strain for Highly Efficient Production of Bioethanol.

We sequenced the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae IR-2, which is a diploid industrial strain with flocculation activity and the ability to efficiently produce bioethanol. The approximately 11.4-Mb draft genome information provides useful insights into metabolic engineering for the production of bioethanol from biomass.