The evolution of the GALactose utilization pathway in budding yeasts

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent research on the evolution of the GAL pathway in budding yeasts, focusing on gene clustering, regulation, and population genetics, highlighting its role as a model for understanding eukaryotic metabolic evolution.

Contribution

It synthesizes recent findings on the organization, regulation, and genetic diversity of the GAL pathway, advancing understanding of metabolic pathway evolution in yeasts.

Findings

Gene cluster organization varies across yeast species.

GAL gene regulation mechanisms have evolved diversely.

Population genetics reveal adaptive variations in the GAL pathway.

Abstract

The Leloir galactose utilization or GAL pathway of budding yeasts, including that of the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the opportunistic human pathogen Candida albicans, breaks down the sugar galactose for energy and biomass production. The GAL pathway has long served as a model system for understanding how eukaryotic metabolic pathways, including their modes of regulation, evolve. More recently, the physical linkage of the structural genes GAL1, GAL7, and GAL10 in diverse budding yeast genomes has been used as a model for understanding the evolution of gene clustering. In this opinion, we summarize exciting recent work on three different aspects of this iconic pathway's evolution: gene cluster organization, GAL gene regulation, and the population genetics of the GAL pathway.