Our recent work with @linder-surprise.bsky.social and the @rokaslab.bsky.social has been featured as a research highlight on the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) page: www.glbrc.org/research/hig...

Trait syndrome links cell structure to metabolic efficiency across yeast subphylum

Researchers analyzed a dataset of glucose-induced extracellular acidification rates — as a proxy for glycolytic rates — and phenotypic variation across 282 species with Saccharomycotina to test whethe...

glbrc.org

A tenure-track research position is available for application at the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute @westerdijkinst.bsky.social located in Utrecht Science Park in the Netherlands. Please share with colleagues and see the link below for more info: wi.knaw.nl/news/details...

A new study out with @linder-surprise.bsky.social and @rokaslab.bsky.social in iScience across ~300 yeast species confirms the correlation between glucose uptake rate and cell surface-to-volume (SA:V) ratio, but suggests a link to other traits (growth rates and genome size). doi.org/10.1016/j.is...

A trait syndrome ties cell morphology to glycolysis across the yeast subphylum

Co-variation of traits provides fundamental insights into constraints governing their evolution. An inverse correlation between glucose uptake rates (…

sciencedirect.com

Check out this new first-author paper from our new postdoctoral lab member @alyahussain.bsky.social! 🎉 This work is from her PhD in the Michael McMurray lab at CU Anschutz.

MichaelMcMurray lab@mcmurraylab.bsky.social · last mo.

Our new paper was, by definition, an adventure: stepping outside of our comfort zone, embracing the unknown, and engaging in activities where the outcome is uncertain. Includes discovery of a new species and working with a Native American tribe to name it… 🧵👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Two members of the Hittinger Lab received awards during the annual All-Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) meeting. Our lab manager, Amanda Hulfachor, won the Excellence Award and Sam Davison, a CMB graduate student, won the award for Community Impact. Congrats to both - we are very proud!⭐⭐⭐

Reminder that the Early Bird registration rate for the 9th Conference on Physiology of Yeasts and Filamentous Fungi (PYFF9) in Valencia (Spain) will expire on May 24th! 👉 Register here: yeastfungi.efbiotechnology.org @pyff-9.bsky.social

#PYFF9 is coming to Valencia! 🇪🇸 Join us for the 9th International Conference on Physiology of Yeasts and Filamentous Fungi (PYFF9), Sept 8–11, 2026! ✨ Cutting-edge science, vibrant networking, and the charm of the Mediterranean—don’t miss it! 🔗 Learn more: efbiotechnology.org/pyff

PYFF

Physiology of Yeasts and Filamentous Fungi (PYFF) conference will take place in Valencia, Spain. It brings together researchers from academia and industry who are engaged in the study of the physiolog...

efbiotechnology.org

There's a story behind every project that doesn't get fully captured in the final paper. Check out our "behind the paper" accompanying our paper on convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation in yeast. communities.springernature.com/posts/learni... @hittingerlab.bsky.social @rokaslab.bsky.social

Learning the rules of metabolic innovation in yeast evolution

communities.springernature.com

With @linder-surprise.bsky.social and the @rokaslab.bsky.social, we evaluated glycolytic rates in 299 species using a newly developed ECAR assay. Genes retained by S. cerevisiae were highly expressed in Sat. dispora, indicating the CE of aerobic fermentation. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes - The EMBO Journal

As the tree of life becomes increasingly accessible to molecular investigations, describing mechanisms underlying evolutionary convergence and constraint will be crucial to understanding diversificati...

link.springer.com

So pleased to share that this project identifying convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation in a poorly characterized genus of yeasts (Saturnispora) is now out in @embojournal.org @hittingerlab.bsky.social @rokaslab.bsky.social @glbioenergy.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes - The EMBO Journal

As the tree of life becomes increasingly accessible to molecular investigations, describing mechanisms underlying evolutionary convergence and constraint will be crucial to understanding diversificati...

link.springer.com

Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes @hittingerlab.bsky.social , @linder-surprise.bsky.social et al show how distinct genetic routes can converge on the same genetic outcome link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Congratulations to @maxhaase.bsky.social on his recent publication from his time in the Boeke Lab at NYU, where he used methods from the Y1000+ consortium! 🥳 We are very proud to have had him as an undergraduate student in our lab. med.nyu.edu/research/boe...

Boeke Lab Team | NYU Langone Health

NYU Langone’s Boeke Lab comprises faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and research staff who synthesize an engineered yeast genome.

med.nyu.edu

Max Haase@maxhaase.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Our paper is now out in Nature: “Ancient co-option of LTR retrotransposons as yeast centromeres” www.nature.com/articles/s41... A short thread on how retrotransposons helped give rise to yeast point centromeres. 1/14

With the @rokaslab.bsky.social, three novel whole genome duplication (WGD) events were discovered in the Saccharomycotina yeast species in the Dipodascales clade. Before now, only four WGD events were known in fungi. This work suggests WGD may be underreported. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Discovery of additional ancient genome duplications in yeasts

Whole-genome duplication (WGD) has had profound macroevolutionary impacts on diverse lineages,1,2 preceding adaptive radiations in vertebrates,3,4,5 t…

sciencedirect.com

We're excited to announce that Chris will be attending the Yeast Genetics Meeting organized by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) @genetics-gsa.bsky.social in CA on June 13-17! #Yeast26 If you are interested in attending or presenting, follow this link to register! genetics-gsa.org/yeast-2026/

How much do growth morphologies in the Saccharomycotina subphylum vary? 🤔 With the @rokaslab.bsky.social, integrated datasets of 1,051 species were examined to assess filamentation evol. history and variation. ML models predicted morphologies with 70% accuracy. academic.oup.com/femsyr/advan...

a group of people are standing next to each other in front of a wall .

ALT: a group of people are standing next to each other in front of a wall .

media.tenor.com

In collaboration with the Pfleger Lab, Josh Dietrich et al. investigated 2-ketoacid decarboxylase (KDC) substrate specificities to identify KDCs with preference for 2-ketoisovalerate over pyruvate. This work will help guide future S. cerevisiae engineering efforts. urldefense.com/v3/__http://...

Congratulations to our wonderful PI, Chris Todd Hittinger, on receiving the Vilas Mid-Career Investigator Award from the UW–Madison Laboratory of Genetics! This recognition highlights his continued excellence in research, teaching, training, and mentorship. 🎉 genetics.wisc.edu/2025/12/09/d...

We were featured in the Yeast Newsletter, published in June and December every year with Western University, serving as an informal communication method for those interested in all things yeast-biology. Checkout pages 18-23! www.uwo.ca/biology/Yeas...

New preprint with @rokaslab.bsky.social! We used genomic, metabolic, environmental, and phenotypic data sets from 1,154 Saccharomycotina strains to asses filamentation variability and predict filamentation types across the subphylum. 🧩 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The Macroevolution of Filamentation Morphology Across the Saccharomycotina Yeast Subphylum

Saccharomycotina yeasts are a highly diverse and widely distributed subphylum of ascomycete fungi that exhibit diversity in their asexual growth morphologies; the human commensal yeast Candida albican...

biorxiv.org

Gonçalves, @rokaslab.bsky.social @hittingerlab.bsky.social et al. surveyed 1,154 yeast genomes to examine gene repertoires linked to genome stability and elevated evolutionary rates, showing hypermutators persist across macroevolutionary timescales. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf285 #evobio #molbio

Stable Hypermutators Revealed by the Genomic Landscape of Genes Involved in Genome Stability Among Yeast Species

Abstract. Mutator phenotypes are short-lived due to the rapid accumulation of deleterious mutations. Yet, recent observations reveal that certain fungi can

doi.org

New work led by members of the @rokaslab.bsky.social! ☺️ 1,154 yeast genomes in the Saccharomycotina subphylum were surveyed for their relationship between reduced gene repertoires broadly associated with genome stability functions and elevated evolutionary rates.🧬 academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...

Stable hypermutators revealed by the genomic landscape of genes involved in genome stability among yeast species

Abstract. Mutator phenotypes are short-lived due to the rapid accumulation of deleterious mutations. Yet, recent observations reveal that certain fungi can

academic.oup.com

With @linder-surprise.bsky.social and the @rokaslab.bsky.social, we recently expanded upon an analysis where glucose uptake rates were inversely correlated with the cell surface area-to-volume ratio, testing 282 species in the Saccharomycotina yeast subphylum. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

In a preprint with the @rokaslab.bsky.social , @linder-surprise.bsky.social developed a high-throughput extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) assay to evaluate glycolytic rate. We highlight how genetic traits, such as aerobic fermentation, can arise convergently with strong constraints. 🧬

Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes

As the tree of life becomes increasingly accessible to molecular investigations, describing mechanisms underlying evolutionary convergence and constraint will be crucial to understanding diversificati...

biorxiv.org

This work has also been featured on the DOE Science News Source initiative, Newswise, which promotes credible research news to the public. By publishing accessible summaries of recent studies that reach thousands of media outlets, it helps experts share their work with a broader audience.

Machine Learning Reveals Genes That Help Yeasts Resist Stress

Scientists used machine learning to analyze the genetic blueprints of hundreds of yeasts. This analysis allowed them to identify which groups of genes are most important for resistance to reactive oxy...

newswise.com

We are honored to share that our work, led by @katarina-aranguiz.bsky.social and @linder-surprise.bsky.social, has been featured as a Science Highlight on the DOE's Office of Science website. 200 articles are selected annually to be highlighted. Check it out! 🧫 www.energy.gov/science/ber/...

Machine Learning Reveals Genes That Help Yeasts Resist Stress

Study provides a framework for connecting genetic mechanisms and trait variation across diverse yeast species.

energy.gov

What started as a project characterizing variation in metabolic rates across yeasts turned into an interesting story about convergent evolution acting on the same key genes through distinct molecular mechanisms with @hittingerlab.bsky.social & @rokaslab.bsky.social. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Convergent evolution of aerobic fermentation through divergent mechanisms acting on key shared glycolytic genes

As the tree of life becomes increasingly accessible to molecular investigations, describing mechanisms underlying evolutionary convergence and constraint will be crucial to understanding diversificati...

biorxiv.org

We often talk about THE whole genome duplication in yeasts, but we find new evidence of additional whole genome duplications in other yeast species! Check out this preprint led by @kylethedavid.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Discovery of additional ancient genome duplications in yeasts

Whole genome duplication (WGD) has had profound macroevolutionary impacts on diverse lineages, preceding adaptive radiations in vertebrates, teleost fish, and angiosperms. In contrast to the many know...

biorxiv.org

Checkout our new preprint with the @rokaslab.bsky.social!: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Discovery of additional ancient genome duplications in yeasts

Whole genome duplication (WGD) has had profound macroevolutionary impacts on diverse lineages[1][1],[2][2], preceding adaptive radiations in vertebrates[3][3]–[5][4], teleost fish[6][5],[7][6], and an...

biorxiv.org

With the Opulente Lab at Villanova Univ., we describe a new yeast species: Lachancea rosae sp. nov. f.a., isolated from the hip bud of a wild California rose 🌹. This species unique traits adds to the biodiversity of the Lachancea genus. Open access article: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Taxogenomic Analysis of a Novel Yeast Species, Lachancea rosae Sp. Nov. F.A., Isolated From the Wild Rose Rosa californica

The discovery, description, and taxogenomic analysis of a novel species of Lachancea revealed correlations between gene content and carbon and nitrogen physiological assays.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

New #Yeast paper out from the series #FantasticYeasts!!! @hittingerlab.bsky.social , Dana Opulente & team describe a novel species, Lachancea rosae, isolated from the wild rose Rosa californica 🌹 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Taxogenomic Analysis of a Novel Yeast Species, Lachancea rosae Sp. Nov. F.A., Isolated From the Wild Rose Rosa californica

The discovery, description, and taxogenomic analysis of a novel species of Lachancea revealed correlations between gene content and carbon and nitrogen physiological assays.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com