*Impact of Domestication on the Mutation Rate of Wine Yeasts*

*Host laboratory:*
This six-month master's internship will begin in early 2026 and will take
place at the *UMR SPO (Sciences pour l'Œnologie)*, within the *LIGEM
team* (*Yeasts:
Interaction, Genetics, Ecology and Metabolism*), located on the *Institut
Agro Montpellier* campus.

*Supervisors : - **Souhir Marsit*, Research Scientist (INRAE)

                        - *Virginie Galeote*, Research Scientist (INRAE)

                        - *Thibault Nidelet*, Research Scientist (INRAE)

*Project description:*

Human activities are a major driver of species evolution, both through the
alteration of natural environments and through the domestication of plants,
animals, and microorganisms.
For thousands of years, humans have exploited the fermentative abilities of
the yeast *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* to produce alcoholic beverages and
fermented foods.
Recent genomic studies have shown that domesticated *S. cerevisiae* strains,
including wine strains, display greater genomic variation than wild,
non-domesticated strains. This suggests that certain anthropogenic
environments may influence genomic diversity.

However, few studies have so far attempted to disentangle the factors that
shape genomic variation from the selective success they may confer in
anthropic environments. In particular, mutation rates remain poorly
characterized in wine yeasts.

This project aims to determine how genomic variation rates differ between
domesticated wine strains of *S. cerevisiae*and wild strains. To achieve
this, we will conduct an experimental evolution assay under weakly
selective conditions using multiple lineages of wine and wild *S.
cerevisiae* strains. We will then quantify genome duplication rates using
flow cytometry, and assess aneuploidy and point mutation rates by
whole-genome sequencing.

*Keywords:* yeast, microbiology, experimental evolution, polyploidy,
aneuploidy

*Main methodologies: *Microbiology, experimental evolution, flow cytometry,
molecular biology (nucleic acid extraction), and data analysis (R).

*Internship conditions*

*          -Duration:* 6 months

            -*Location:* UMR SPO, Institut Agro Montpellier (La Gaillarde
campus)

*Candidate profile:*

Applicants should have basic knowledge of microbiology (sterile
techniques), molecular biology and/or genetics, and some experience or
interest in data analysis using R.

souhir marsit <souhir.marsit@gmail.com>

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