Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae
S. cerevisiae, electron micrograph
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Phylum:	Ascomycota
Subphylum:	Saccharomycotina
Order:	Saccharomycetales
Family:	Saccharomycetaceae
Genus:	Saccharomyces
Species:	S. cerevisiae
Binomial name
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meyen ex E.C. Hansen

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. It has been instrumental to winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been originally isolated from the skin of grapes (one can see the yeast as a component of the thin white film on the skins of some dark-colored fruits such as plums; it exists among the waxes of the cuticle). It is one of the most intensively studied eukaryotic model organisms in molecular and cell biology, much like Escherichia coli as the model bacterium. It is the microorganism behind the most common type of fermentation. S. cerevisiae cells are round to ovoid, 5–10 μm in diameter. It reproduces by a division process known as budding.

Many proteins important in human biology were first discovered by studying their homologs in yeast; these proteins include cell cycle proteins, signaling proteins, and protein-processing enzymes. S. cerevisiae is currently the only yeast cell known to have Berkeley bodies present, which are involved in particular secretory pathways. Antibodies against S. cerevisiae are found in 60–70% of patients with Crohn's disease and 10–15% of patients with ulcerative colitis (and 8% of healthy controls).

"Saccharomyces" derives from Latinized Greek and means "sugar-mold" or "sugar-fungus", saccharo (σάκχαρις) being the combining form "sugar" and myces (μύκης, genitive μύκητος) being "fungus". Cerevisiae comes from Latin and means "of beer". Other names for the organism are:

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