Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as baker's or brewer's yeast, is a single-celled eukaryotic fungus that serves as the preeminent model organism for studying eukaryotic biology due to its well-defined genetics (National Institutes of Health, 2023). While widely recognized for its utility in the food and beverage industry and for recombinant protein production, it is increasingly documented as an opportunistic human pathogen capable of causing fungemia, particularly in patients with weakened immune systems or those with central venous catheters (Perez-Torrado & Querol, 2016). In the context of drug discovery, S. cerevisiae is not a single molecular target like a receptor or enzyme but rather an organism containing various conserved proteins that are targets for antifungal therapy. Major therapeutic strategies against this organism involve disrupting the fungal cell membrane through ergosterol depletion or damaging the cell wall by inhibiting glucan synthesis (American Society for Microbiology, 2021). Its genetic tractability also makes it a valuable tool for screening new pharmacological agents and identifying the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance (Nature Reviews Genetics, 2017).

Other names

Baker's yeastBrewer's yeastBudding yeastSugar yeastSaccharomyces boulardii

Antifungal drugs targeting this organism primarily work by inhibiting the enzyme lanosterol 14-alpha-demethylase to disrupt ergosterol synthesis (azoles), binding to ergosterol to form membrane pores (polyenes), or inhibiting 1,3-beta-glucan synthase to disrupt cell wall integrity (echinocandins).