From one genome to thousands, and beyond.

Advances in sequencing and genomics have expanded Saccharomyces cerevisiae research from a single reference genome to thousands of diverse isolates, revealing extensive genetic variation.

• Why it matters: Understanding this diversity is crucial for linking genomic variation to phenotypic traits, which has been limited by reliance on a single reference genome and hampers insights into eukaryotic biology.
• What they did: Researchers utilized telomere-to-telomere assemblies, graph-pangenomes, and multi-omics approaches to analyze the species-wide pangenome of S. cerevisiae across numerous isolates.
• The result: These methods have enhanced the ability to connect genetic differences to phenotypes, positioning S. cerevisiae as a key model for studying genotype-phenotype relationships in eukaryotes.