Brettanomyces bruxellensis: Overview of the genetic and phenotypic diversity of an anthropized yeast

Abstract

Human-associated microorganisms are ideal models to study the impact of environmental changes on species evolution and adaptation because of their small genome, short generation time, and their colonization of contrasting and ever-changing ecological niches. The yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis is a good example of organism facing anthropogenic-driven selective pressures. It is associated with fermentation processes in which it can be considered either as a spoiler (e.g. winemaking, bioethanol production) or as a beneficial microorganism (e.g. production of specific beers, kombucha). Besides its industrial interests, noteworthy parallels and dichotomies with Saccharomyces cerevisiae propelled B. bruxellensis as a valuable complementary yeast model. In this review, we emphasize that the broad genetic and phenotypic diversity of this species is only beginning to be uncovered. Population genomic studies have revealed the co-existence of auto-and allotriploidization events with different evolutionary outcomes. The different diploid, autotriploid and allotriploid subpopulations are associated with specific fermented processes, suggesting independent adaptation events to anthropized environments. Phenotypically, B. bruxellensis is renowned for its ability to metabolize a wide variety of carbon and nitrogen sources, which may explain its ability to colonize already fermented environments showing low-nutrient contents. Several traits of interest could be related to adaptation to human activities (e.g. nitrate metabolization in bioethanol production, resistance to sulphite treatments in winemaking). However, phenotypic traits are insufficiently studied in view of the great genomic diversity of the species. Future work will have to take into account strains of varied substrates, geographical origins as well as displaying different ploidy levels to improve our understanding of an anthropized yeast's phenotypic landscape.

Diversity of dung beetle‐associated yeasts from pristine environments of Botswana

“…This is most likely due to the different environments from which the yeast strains were isolated (i.e., different locations in Botswana and different dung beetle species). Yeast populations can adapt to different ecological niches, experiencing different selective pressures that can drive genetic variation (Harrouard et al, 2022). For example, yeast strains isolated from different geographic locations may be exposed to varying climatic conditions, resulting in the selection of various adaptive traits.…”

Convergence in domesticated fungi used for cheese and dry-cured meat maturation: beneficial traits, genomic mechanisms, and degeneration

“…Evidence from other domesticated fungi, used in other products than cheeses or dry-cured meat, also suggests the acquisition of beneficial traits, in S. cerevisiae for making wine, beer, bread, in Brettanomyces bruxellensis for producing beer and kombucha and in Aspergillus oryzae for producing Asian soy fermented products such as sake or miso [13,25,[27][28][29][30][31][32][49][50][51][52]. These populations have also acquired specific phenotypes, and also by similar mechanisms such as horizontal gene transfers [53,54] or hybridization such as the hybrid species S. pastorianus used for the production of lager beer [55].…”

Reconstruction of Simplified Microbial Consortia to Modulate Sensory Quality of Kombucha Tea

“…Generally, B. anomalus is prevalent in several kombucha teas [3,7], but in the present study, B. bruxellensis was found more abundantly. This aspect could have been related to the intraspecific variability of B. bruxellensis in the acetic acid metabolism, which can enable specific strains to outcompete other microbes [38]. This characteristic could be further investigated for the strain B. bruxellensis T7SB-5W6, recovered in most of the analyzed samples.…”

“…This could be attributed to its fructophilic behavior, which was linked to the presence of high-capacity and low-affinity fructose transporters [25]. B. bruxellensis also consumed a small amount of fructose, as most Brettanomyces strains have the capability to metabolize a wide range of monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, and dextrins [38]. In [12], a monoculture of B. bruxellensis consumed around 10 g/L of total sugar after 14 days of fermentation, the same value found in the present Bb fermentation, while our strain of Z. parabailii consumed two times that amount.…”