Yeast Metabolic Engineering: Methods and Protocols provides the widely established basic tools used in yeast metabolic engineering, while describing in deeper detail novel and innovative methods that have valuable potential to improve metabolic engineering strategies in industrial biotechnology applications. Beginning with an extensive section on molecular tools and technology for yeast engineering, this detailed volume is not limited to methods for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but describes tools and protocols for engineering other yeasts of biotechnological interest, such as Pichia pastoris, Hansenula polymorpha and Zygosaccharomyces bailii. Tools and technologies for the investigation and determination of yeast metabolic features are described in detail as well as metabolic models and their application for yeast metabolic engineering, while a chapter describing patenting and regulations with a special glance at yeast biotechnology closes the volume. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, most chapters include an introduction to their respective topic, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and authoritative, Yeast Metabolic Engineering: Methods and Protocols aims to familiarize researchers with the current state of these vital and increasingly useful technologies.

I belie ve that the book would provide an overview of the recent developments in the domain of yeast research with some new ideas, which could serve as an inspiration and challenge for researchers in this field. Ne w Delhi Prof. Asis Datta Dec. 24, 2007 F ormer Vice-chancellor, JNU Director, NCPGR (New Delhi) Pr eface Yeasts are eukaryotic unicellular microfungi that are widely distributed in the natural environments. Although yeasts are not as ubiquitous as bacteria in the na- ral environments, they have been isolated from terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric environments. Yeast communities have been found in association with plants, a- mals and insects. Several species of yeasts have also been isolated from specialized or extreme environments like those with low water potential (e. g. high sugar/salt concentrations), low temperature (e. g. yeasts isolated from Antarctica), and low oxygen availability (e. g. intestinal tracts of animals). Around 1500 species of yeasts belonging to over 100 genera have been described so far. It is estimated that only 1% of the extant yeasts on earth have been described till date. Therefore, global efforts are underway to recover new yeast species from a variety of normal and extreme environments. Yeasts play an important role in food chains, and carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles. Yeasts can be genetically manipulated by hybridization, mutation, rare m- ing, cytoduction, spheroplast fusion, single chromosomal transfer and transfor- tion using recombinant technology. Yeasts (e. g.

Nicholas Money gives us a history of our interactions with one of the most important organisms in the world--yeast.