Exploiting the complete yeast genome sequence

The completion of the genome sequence of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae marks the dawn of an exciting new era in eukaryotic biology that will bring with it a new understanding of yeast, other model organisms, and human beings. This body of sequence data benefits yeast researchers by obviating the need for piecemeal sequencing of genes, and allows researchers working with other organisms to tap into experimental advantages inherent in the yeast system and learn from functionally characterized yeast gene products which are their proteins of interest. In addition, the yeast post-genome sequence era is serving as a testing ground for powerful new technologies, and proven experimental approaches are being applied for the first time in a comprehensive fashion on a complete eukaryotic gene repertoire.