Single-celled yeasts form spatially structured populations - colonies and biofilms, either alone (single-species biofilms) or in cooperation with other microorganisms (mixed-species biofilms). Within populations, yeast cells develop in a coordinated manner, interact with each other and differentiate into specialized cell subpopulations that can better adapt to changing conditions (e.g. by reprogramming metabolism during nutrient deficiency) or protect the overall population from external influences (e.g. via extracellular matrix). Various omics tools together with specialized techniques for separating differentiated cells and in situ microscopy have revealed important processes and cell interactions in these structures, which are summarized here. Nevertheless, current knowledge is still only a small part of the mosaic of complexity and diversity of the multicellular structures that yeasts form in different environments. Future challenges include the use of integrated multi-omics approaches and a greater emphasis on the analysis of differentiated cell subpopulations with specific functions.

Department of Genetics and Microbiology Faculty of Science Charles University BIOCEV 12800 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences BIOCEV 14220 Prague Czech Republic

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Cell differentiation, aging, and death in spatially organized yeast communities: mechanisms and consequences

Differential stability of Gcn4p controls its cell-specific activity in differentiated yeast colonies

Editorial: Yeast Differentiation: From Cell-to-Cell Heterogeneity to Replicative Aging and Regulated Cell Death