The effect of temperature on the growth of wild-type <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> and the mutant strain YLR044C.

Abstract

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a unicellular organism that obtains energy primarily through alcohol fermentation, where it breaks down glucose into ethanol. We investigated the effect different temperature conditions on the growth rate of S. cerevisiae and the YLR044C mutant, a PDC1 deletion mutant. This mutant has a deletion in the pyruvate decarboxylase gene PDC1, consequently reducing the rate of alcohol fermentation. Both mutant and wild-type S. cerevisiae were placed in 22°C, 30°C, and 40°C water baths for a set amount of time and then cell density was determined. Temperature was found to affect the growth rate of S. cerevisiae. The presence of the mutation was also found to have an effect on growth rate. The exponential growth rates of wild-type and mutant S. cerevisiae are significantly different, and temperature has opposing effects.