FPG1, a gene involved in foam formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Foam formation in fermentations conducted by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, either at the beginning of the fermentation process or at the end in the case of sparkling wines, is due, to a large extent, to cell wall mannoproteins, which provide hydrophobicity to the yeast cells and favour their floating index as well as stabilization of the foam. The foam may be an undesirable by-product if it accumulates on top of the fermentation tanks, but its formation is a good property in either beer or sparkling wines. It is therefore important to know the yeast genes involved in foam formation, in order to suppress or potentiate their expression according to the end product to be obtained. The present study identified and characterized, for the first time in an oenological S. cerevisiae strain, a gene involved in foam formation, named FPG1 (foam-promoting gene). The protein encoded by FPG1 is a mannoprotein precursor present in the cell wall and somewhat homologous to Awa1p, a foaming protein described in a sake S. cerevisiae strain. A foamless strain was prepared by FPG1 deletion, and a foam hyper-producing strain was also constructed, thus allowing the conclusion that Fpg1p is a mannoprotein involved in yeast frothing.