At a fundamental research level, the yeasts offer valuable opportunities for modelling regulatory and metabolic processes in multicellular eukaryotic organisms: this volume deals with the multifunctional chromosome regulatory proteins, topoisomerase and nuclear transport. A combination of biochemical and genetic approaches applied to the yeast translation system is also currently yielding a wealth of data, while the mating pheromone signal transduction pathway in yeasts provides a valuable analogue of the signal transduction components used by multicellular organisms, including receptors, G proteins, protein kinases and transcription factors.
With a well-established history of fermantation studies, yeasts remain the first-choice vehicle for production of heterologous eukaryotic proteins. Interest is diversifying, as an increasing number of non-Saccharomyces species are now being utilised for the production of specific heterologous proteins.
Molecular biologists, microbiologists and biochemical geneticists will find this volume an authoritative and valuable update on a vibrant area of research.