Yeasts Case Study Essay Example for Free

Yeasts Case Study EssayYeasts are eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described1 (estimated to be 1% of all fungal species).2 Yeasts are unicellular, although some species with yeast forms may become multicellular through the formation of a string of connected bud cells known as pseudohyphae, or false hyphae, as seen in most molds.3 Yeast size can vary greatly depending on the species, typically meter 34 m in diameter, although some yeasts can reach over 40 m.4 Most yeasts reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding. By fermentation, the yeast species genus Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and inebriants for thousands of years the carbon dioxide has been used in baking and the alcohol in alcoholic beverages.5It is also a centrally important model organism in modern cell biology research, and is one of the most well researched eukaryotic mi croorganisms. Researchers have used it to gather information about the biology of the eukaryotic cell and ultimately human biology.6 Other species of yeast, such as Candida albicans, are opportunistic pathogens and can cause infections in humans. Yeasts have recently been used to generate electricity in microbial fuel cells,7 and produce ethanol for the biofuel industry. Yeasts do not form a single taxonomic or phylogenetic grouping. The term yeast is often taken as a synonym for Saccharomyces cerevisiae,8 but the phylogenetic diversity of yeasts is shown by their placement in two separate phyla the Ascomycota and the Basidiomycota. The budding yeasts (true yeasts) are classified in the order Saccharomycetales.9