The yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe: models for cell biology research.

Yeast species provide excellent models for fundamental biological research. In this review, I will describe characteristics of the two most common laboratory systems: the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They have substantial similarities that make them powerful as research tools, and also striking biological differences that make them complementary experimental models. Each provides unique tools for understanding environmental effects on cellular systems.