defining the factors promoting yeast mating within insect intestines

THE APHRODISIAC GUT

schema riassuntivo del ciclo naturale del lievito Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An association between wasps and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been recently observed. Wasps not only vector Sce in their intestines but more importantly they promote yeast mating, an extremely rare event. We hypothesize that mating, fundamental for S. cerevisiae evolution, may be promoted within wasp intestines thanks to the sequence of drastically different chemical and mechanical stresses peculiar for this environment. Unfortunately, detailed knowledge of the insect gut physiology is currently lacking.

Our project will test this hypothesis through a highly interdisciplinary approach combining chemistry, physics, genetics, and mathematics. Sensors will be used in vivo to measure the chemical features of gut compartments which will be mimicked in microfluidic devices to test the capability of S. cerevisiae strains to mate. A mathematical model based on experimental measures will define the characteristics of the insect gut and yeast genetics favoring the mating and will provide directions to refine experimental approaches. The results of this project will unveil the key factors of S. cerevisiae evolution which, despite the prolonged use and study of S. cerevisiae by humans, still remain obscure.