Genome Sequencing and Comparative Analysis of Three Hanseniaspora uvarum Indigenous Wine Strains Reveal Remarkable Biotechnological Potential

Abstract

A current trend in winemaking has highlighted the beneficial contribution of non-Saccharomyces yeasts to wine quality. Hanseniaspora uvarum is one of the more represented non-Saccharomyces species onto grape berries and plays a critical role in influencing the wine sensory profile, in terms of complexity and organoleptic richness. In this work, we analyzed a group of H. uvarum indigenous wine strains as for genetic as for technological traits, such as resistance to SO 2 and β-glucosidase activity. Three strains were selected for genome sequencing, assembly and comparative genomic analyses at species and genus level. Hanseniaspora genomes appeared compact and contained a moderate number of genes, while rarefaction analyses suggested an open accessory genome, reflecting a rather incomplete representation of the Hanseniaspora gene pool in the currently available genomes. The analyses of patterns of functional annotation in the three indigenous H. uvarum strains showed distinct enrichment for several PFAM protein domains. In particular, for certain traits, such as flocculation related protein domains, the genetic prediction correlated well with relative flocculation phenotypes at lab-scale. This feature, together with the enrichment for oligo-peptide transport and lipid and amino acid metabolism domains, reveals a promising potential of these indigenous strains to be applied in fermentation processes and modulation of wine flavor and aroma. This study also contributes to increasing the catalog of publicly available genomes from H. uvarum strains isolated from natural grape samples and provides a good roadmap for unraveling the biodiversity and the biotechnological potential of these non-Saccharomyces yeasts.

Development of Genetic Modification Tools for Hanseniasporauvarum

“…Hanseniaspora uvarum is an important yeast in the beverage industry, in particular for wine. In recent years, researchers have shown particular interest in this yeast, and reports on its beneficial impact on winemaking as well as several genome sequences have been published [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Despite the growing interest, to date, there are no genetic modification tools available for H .…”

“…In spite of the increasing importance of Hanseniaspora in wine fermentations, only in the past couple of years, has large-scale genome sequencing provided information on Hanseniaspora species [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]; this wealth of information provides a basic framework for analysing the biology of Hanseniaspora . Recent research has shown that the low specific activity of pyruvate kinase, catalysing one of the rate limiting steps in the glycolytic pathway, could explain the reduced capacity of Hanseniaspora to form ethanol [ 38 ].…”

Saccharomyces cerevisiaeandHanseniaspora uvarummixed starter cultures: Influence of microbial/physical interactions on wine characteristics

“…Contrary to Saccharomyces, among Hanseniaspora strains, the ability to tolerate this antiseptic is undoubtedly a rare characteristic (Grangeteau et al, 2016). The H. uvarum strains tested in this study were already selected for sulphur dioxide tolerance (Guaragnella et al, 2020), and consequently, we tested these three H. uvarum S. cerevisiae, has determined differences statistically significant among the wines obtained by mixed and single starters (Table 1). These results confirmed that when yeast strains developed together in mixed fermentations, they do not grow together passively, but rather, they interact each other, producing different compounds or different amounts of compounds affecting the chemical and aromatic composition of wines (Anfang, Brajkovich, & Goddard, 2009;Ciani et al, 2016;Ciani, Comitini, Mannazzu, & Domizio, 2010;Howell, Cozzolino, Bartowsky, Fleet, & Henschke, 2006).…”

“…The two S. cerevisiae strains were previously selected, on the basis of interesting enological traits (Capece, Romaniello, Siesto, & Romano, 2012; Siesto, Capece, Sipiczki, Csoma, & Romano, 2013). The three H. uvarum strains were selected for their low production level of acetic acid and high β‐glucosidase activity (Capece et al, 2005; Guaragnella et al, 2020). All the yeasts were maintained on yeast extract‐peptone‐dextrose (YPD) medium (1% yeast extract; 2% peptone; 2% glucose; 2% agar) at 4°C.…”

“…The three H. uvarum strains were selected for their low production level of acetic acid and high β-glucosidase activity (Capece et al, 2005;Guaragnella et al, 2020). All the yeasts were maintained on yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) medium (1% yeast extract; 2% peptone; 2% glucose; 2% agar) at 4 C.…”