Transcriptomic analysis of an iron-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant obtained by evolutionary engineering

Iron-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant was obtained by evolutionary engineering selection strategy. The mutant obtained “M8FE” is much more resistant to iron stress than the reference strain which was used to select this mutant. Mutant can resist up to 35mM Iron* stress whereas the reference strain cannot. Whole-genome microarray analysis might be promising to identify the iron resistance mechanisms and stress response upon high levels of iron in the yeast cells. Iron-resistant mutant is also cross resistant to Cobalt, Chromium and Nickel but sensitive to Zinc. * refers to [NH4]2[Fe][SO4]2 and FeCl2. The reference Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain and the iron-resistant mutant were grown in minimal medium to an Optical Density (OD600) of 1.00 which correspond to the logarithmic growth phase of the yeast cells. Cultures were harvested and whole RNA isolation was carried out. The experiment was repeated three times.