Browsing by Author "Liti, Gianni"

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    An integrative taxonomy approach reveals Saccharomyces chiloensis sp. nov. as a newly discovered species from Coastal Patagonia
    (2024) Pena, Tomas A.; Villarreal, Pablo; Agier, Nicolas; De Chiara, Matteo; Barria, Tomas; Urbina, Kamila; Villarroel, Carlos A.; Santos, Ana R. O.; Rosa, Carlos A.; Nespolo, Roberto F.; Liti, Gianni; Fischer, Gilles; Cubillos, Francisco A.
    Species delineation in microorganisms is challenging due to the limited markers available for accurate species assignment. Here, we applied an integrative taxonomy approach, combining extensive sampling, whole-genome sequence-based classification, phenotypic profiling, and assessment of interspecific reproductive isolation. Our work reveals the presence of a distinct Saccharomyces lineage in Nothofagus forests of coastal Patagonia. This lineage, designated Saccharomyces chiloensis sp. nov., exhibits 7% genetic divergence from its sister species S. uvarum, as revealed by whole-genome sequencing and population analyses. The South America-C (SA-C) coastal Patagonia population forms a unique clade closely related to a previously described divergent S. uvarum population from Oceania (AUS, found in Australia and New Zealand). Our species reclassification is supported by a low Ortho Average Nucleotide Identity (OANI) of 93% in SA-C and AUS relative to S. uvarum, which falls below the suggested species delineation threshold of 95%, indicating an independent evolutionary lineage. Hybrid spore viability assessment provided compelling evidence that SA-C and AUS are reproductively isolated from S. uvarum. In addition, we found unique structural variants between S. chiloensis sp. nov. lineages, including large-scale chromosomal translocations and inversions, together with a distinct phenotypic profile, emphasizing their intraspecies genetic distinctiveness. We suggest that S. chiloensis sp. nov diverged from S. uvarum in allopatry due to glaciation, followed by post-glacial dispersal, resulting in distinct lineages on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean. The discovery of S. chiloensis sp. nov. illustrates the uniqueness of Patagonia's coastal biodiversity and underscores the importance of adopting an integrative taxonomic approach in species delineation to unveil cryptic microbial species. The holotype of S. chiloensis sp. nov. is CBS 18620(T).
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    Clonal Heterogeneity Influences the Fate of New Adaptive Mutations
    (2017) Vazquez-Garcia, Ignacio; Salinas, Francisco; Li, Jing; Fischer, Andrej; Barre, Benjamin; Hallin, Johan; Bergstrom, Anders; Alonso-Perez, Elisa; Warringer, Jonas; Mustonen, Ville; Liti, Gianni
    The joint contribution of pre-existing and de novo genetic variation to clonal adaptation is poorly understood but essential to designing successful antimicrobial or cancer therapies. To address this, we evolve genetically diverse populations of budding yeast, S. cerevisiae, consisting of diploid cells with unique haplotype combinations. We study the asexual evolution of these populations under selective inhibition with chemotherapeutic drugs by time-resolved whole-genome sequencing and phenotyping. All populations undergo clonal expansions driven by de novo mutations but remain genetically and phenotypically diverse. The clones exhibit widespread genomic instability, rendering recessive de novo mutations homozygous and refining pre-existing variation. Finally, we decompose the fitness contributions of pre-existing and de novo mutations by creating a large recombinant library of adaptive mutations in an ensemble of genetic backgrounds. Both pre-existing and de novo mutations substantially contribute to fitness, and the relative fitness of preexisting variants sets a selective threshold for new adaptive mutations.
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    Powerful decomposition of complex traits in a diploid model
    (NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP, 2016) Hallin, Johan; Maertens, Kaspar; Young, Alexander I.; Zackrisson, Martin; Salinas, Francisco; Parts, Leopold; Warringer, Jonas; Liti, Gianni
    Explaining trait differences between individuals is a core and challenging aim of life sciences. Here, we introduce a powerful framework for complete decomposition of trait variation into its underlying genetic causes in diploid model organisms. We sequence and systematically pair the recombinant gametes of two intercrossed natural genomes into an array of diploid hybrids with fully assembled and phased genomes, termed Phased Outbred Lines (POLs). We demonstrate the capacity of this approach by partitioning fitness traits of 6,642 Saccharomyces cerevisiae POLs across many environments, achieving near complete trait heritability and precisely estimating additive (73%), dominance (10%), second (7%) and third (1.7%) order epistasis components. We map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and find nonadditive QTLs to outnumber (3:1) additive loci, dominant contributions to heterosis to outnumber overdominant, and extensive pleiotropy. The POL framework offers the most complete decomposition of diploid traits to date and can be adapted to most model organisms.