George Van der Merwe
Associate Professor
College of Biological Science
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Guelph, Ontario
gvanderm@uoguelph.ca
Office:
(519) 824-4120 ext. 54298
(519) 824-4120 ext. 56653
Expert In
Bio/Research
Dr. Merwe's laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that: 1) enable the adaptation of yeast to fermentation-related stresses, and 2) link molecular adaptation and metabolite production. Knowledge generated from this research would enable the creation of strategies to improve ...
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Bio/Research
Dr. Merwe's laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that: 1) enable the adaptation of yeast to fermentation-related stresses, and 2) link molecular adaptation and metabolite production. Knowledge generated from this research would enable the creation of strategies to improve the stress tolerance, vitality, and efficiency of yeast during its performance of alcoholic fermentations.
Wine yeasts are confronted with an array of challenging conditions during vinification. Limiting nutrients, osmotic stress-inducing concentrations of sugars, antimicrobial agents such as killer toxins and fungicides, and increasing concentrations of ethanol produced during the fermentation are some of the stresses wine yeasts have to overcome. The molecular adaptations to these stresses include alterations in the transcriptome and proteome of the yeast. Such changes inadvertently affect the metabolome of the yeast.
Click to Shrink <<
Wine yeasts are confronted with an array of challenging conditions during vinification. Limiting nutrients, osmotic stress-inducing concentrations of sugars, antimicrobial agents such as killer toxins and fungicides, and increasing concentrations of ethanol produced during the fermentation are some of the stresses wine yeasts have to overcome. The molecular adaptations to these stresses include alterations in the transcriptome and proteome of the yeast. Such changes inadvertently affect the metabolome of the yeast.
Click to Shrink <<