Why is Saccharomyces Cerevisiae a Useful Model Organism for Functional

Question

Why is Saccharomyces cerevisiae a useful model organism for functional genetics?
A) It has approximately the same number of protein coding genes as humans do.
B) It has the smallest genome of any organism.
C) The function of every one of its genes is known.
D) It has the smallest genome of any eukaryote.
E) It can exist as a haploid or diploid.

Accepted Answer

Saccharomyces cerevisiae can exist as a haploid or diploid, which makes it useful for studying the function of genes in both states. This allows for easy manipulation and analysis of genetic traits. While it has a relatively small genome for a eukaryote, it is not the smallest genome overall, and the function of all its genes is not presently known. Therefore, options (B) and (C) are not the best choice. (A) is incorrect because S. cerevisiae has fewer protein coding genes than humans, although it still has a significant number (about 6,000).