For the 29th International Conference of Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology (ICYGMB2019) we have put together an Open Access Virtual Special Issue of FEMS Yeast Research to mark the occasion and to support the research of the scientist in the community.

The issue consist of 2 fascinating retrospectives (by Bernad Dujon and Reed B Wicker), 6 papers on Fundamental Yeast Genetics and Cellular Processes, 3 papers on Mapping complex Genetic traits, and 6 articles detailing Tools for Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts.

The articles were selected by Ken Wolfe, University College Dublin; Terrance Cooper, University of Tennessee; and John Morrissey, University College Cork (Editor in Chief, FEMS Yeast Research).

Read the Virtual Special Issue here

The International Conference of Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology is one of the longest running yeast biology conference series. As its title suggests, its origins are firmly in the study of fundamental aspects of the yeast cell and it was founded to provide a forum for researchers interested in using what were then new tools, to study this micro-organism. Although not exclusively, the major focus of the conference was on the model species Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Looking at the programme for ICYGMB 2019 (Gothenberg, Sweden) it is seen that this remains an important theme and there are excellent sessions planned on topics such as Gene Expression, RNA Processing and Regulation, or DNA replication, mutation and repair. The conference has adapted to the broadening landscape of yeast biology, however, and so also features sessions on newer topics such as Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology. Thus, while staying true to its origins as a forum for fundamental research, the meeting also caters for scientists who seek to use this fundamental knowledge to solve environmental or industrial challenges.

We provide here Open Access to a collection of articles published in the journal FEMS Yeast Research that will be of interest and relevance to the attendees of ICYGMB 2019. This also serves as an invitation to all meeting attendees to consider submitting your best yeast research papers to our journal. FEMS Yeast Research was established as a journal to serve the yeast community and is pleased to support this meeting by provision of a poster prize for an early career researcher. Being a Society journal (Federation of European Microbiological Societies), all income derived from publications is returned to the community via prizes, meeting grants and bursaries – some of which were provided to some of this meeting’s attendees. By supporting a Society journal, we help the Society support our own community.