Evolutionary diversification of invertase paralogs couples carbon metabolism and sexual reproduction in fission yeasts.

Fission yeasts evolved distinct invertase paralogs, with Inv2 uniquely coupling carbon metabolism to sexual reproduction in S. pombe, enabling adaptation to diverse sugar environments.

• Why it matters: Understanding gene gain and loss helps clarify how eukaryotes adapt to different ecological niches, especially through functional innovations affecting life-history traits like reproduction.
• What they did: The study analyzed gene gain and loss across the fission yeast clade, identifying two invertase paralogs, Inv1 and Inv2, with different functions, regulation, and localization, especially in S. pombe.
• The result: The diversification of these invertases links carbon metabolism to sexual differentiation, revealing how core metabolic changes can drive adaptation and influence reproductive cycles in yeasts.