Analysis of Yeast Sporulation Efficiency, Spore Viability, and Meiotic Recombination on Solid Medium

Under conditions of nutrient deprivation, yeast cells initiate a differentiation program in which meiosis is induced and spores are formed. During meiosis, one round of genome duplication is followed by two rounds of chromosome segregation (meiosis I and meiosis II) to generate four haploid nuclei. Meiotic recombination occurs during prophase I. During sporogenesis, each nucleus becomes surrounded by an individual spore wall, and all four haploid spores become contained as a tetrad within an ascus. Important insights into the meiotic function(s) of a gene of interest can be gained by observing the effects of gene mutations on spore viability and viability patterns among tetrads. Moreover, recombination frequencies among viable spores can reveal potential involvement of the gene during meiotic exchange between homologous chromosomes. Here, we describe methods for inducing spore formation on solid medium, determining spore viability, and measuring, via tetrad analysis, frequencies of crossing over and gene conversion as indicators of meiotic chromosome exchange.