August 20, 2026
About this newsletter:
This is the August 2026 issue of the SGD newsletter. This issue features a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first eukaryotic genome sequence, a suite of powerful new SGD features including Pathway Pages and Functional Networks, and practical guides to help you get the most out of your yeast research.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of a landmark achievement in biology: the publication of the complete Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome sequence in 1996 – the first eukaryotic genome ever sequenced.
Since before the genome was even complete, SGD has served as the authoritative resource for yeast genomics. Over three decades, we’ve evolved from a simple sequence repository to a comprehensive biological knowledge hub, providing expert curation and multi-dimensional annotations that support researchers worldwide.
A special meeting, Life with 6000 Genes, takes place August 31 – September 1, 2026 to commemorate this milestone and the remarkable era of discovery it enabled.
To mark this anniversary, SGD team members have authored a retrospective chronicling our 32-year history, from the founding vision through today’s collaborative database ecosystem. The article will appear in a special issue of FEMS Yeast Research.

Thank you to the yeast research community for three decades of collaboration, contributions, and discoveries!
SGD now has Pathway Pages – dedicated pages for each of the 220 manually curated biochemical pathways in yeast.
Pathway pages offer a complete view of specific biochemical pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Each page integrates information from multiple sources to help you understand what the pathway does, which genes are involved, how gene products interact, and which chemicals are involved.
Each pathway page features a pathway diagram showing the chemical reactions and metabolic flow. The diagram displays:

A “View interactive diagram at YeastPathways” button takes you to the full interactive version where you can explore the pathway in greater detail.
Expert-curated descriptive text explains:
For example, the glyoxylate cycle page explains how this essential pathway allows yeast to grow on two-carbon compounds and its role in providing precursors for biosynthesis.
A comprehensive table of genes participating in the pathway includes:
This makes it easy to see all the players in a pathway at a glance and access detailed information on any gene of interest.
Pathway pages now include the same Functional Networks features available on gene pages:

Shared Annotations Network: Visualizes how genes in the pathway share phenotype and GO annotations, helping you identify:
You can filter the network by the number of shared pathway genes to focus on the most relevant connections.
GO-CAMs: When available, Gene Ontology Causal Activity Model pathway models are displayed, showing:

If multiple GO-CAM models involve genes from the pathway, you can switch between them using a dropdown menu.
The GO Enrichment section shows which biological processes are statistically overrepresented among pathway genes. This helps you:
Each enriched term links to the genes involved and shows the statistical significance (p-value).
Explore all 220 curated pathways:
SGD’s search landing page has been redesigned to make it easier to find the yeast biological information you need.

Enhanced Search Experience The new landing page features an improved search box with smart autocomplete functionality that suggests genes, chemicals, pathways, and other entities as you type. This makes searching faster and helps you discover relevant results even if you’re not sure of the exact name.
Quick Category Browsing Need to browse rather than search? The new page includes quick access buttons for popular categories including genes, complexes, pathways, and chemicals. Click any category to start exploring without typing a single character.
Advanced Filtering Refine your search results by category or other criteria to quickly zero in on exactly what you’re looking for. The redesigned interface provides clearer visual organization with distinct sections for different data types.
Stay Current with SGD The right side of the page now highlights SGD’s latest activity:
This makes it easy to stay up-to-date with the newest information added to SGD.
There are two easy ways to reach the new search landing page:
Or go directly to: https://www.yeastgenome.org/search
Happy exploring!

The New Yeast Papers page at SGD (yeastgenome.org/reference/recent) is your rolling monthly snapshot of publications newly added to the database, now with filtering options to help you find the papers most relevant to your research.
The page has always been a great way to stay current with Saccharomyces cerevisiae research, listing newly-added publications over the last 30 days along with the genes, alleles, complexes, and pathways associated with each paper. It’s updated daily, and now you can filter it by:
Each filter shows the most frequently occurring values along with reference counts, giving you an at-a-glance view of what’s trending in this month’s yeast literature. Combine multiple filters to get as specific as you need, and use Clear all filters to reset. And as always, you can download the full reference list in .nbib format for your reference manager.
Access the New Yeast Papers page anytime via the Literature menu in the purple SGD navigation bar, or from SGD’s new Search landing page (bookmark this!) or go directly to yeastgenome.org/reference/recent. Happy reading!

SGD’s macromolecular complex pages have been overhauled to make complex information more accessible, comprehensive, and easier to navigate.
Why Protein Complexes Matter
Protein complexes are fundamental functional units in cells that operate as groups of proteins that work together to carry out specific biological processes. Since 2019, SGD has provided detailed information about yeast protein complexes, including subunit composition, functions, interactions, and references.
All Gene Ontology Information on One Page
One of the most significant improvements is the reorganization of Gene Ontology (GO) annotations. Previously, GO information was tucked away on a separate tab, requiring you to navigate away from the main view. Now, all GO annotations are prominently displayed right on the Summary page.
What you can see at a glance:
All three are now visible directly on the Summary page.
GO-CAM Pathway Models for Complexes
We’ve also integrated GO-CAM (Gene Ontology Causal Activity Models) pathway models directly into complex pages. When available, these models appear below the GO annotations, showing how entire protein complexes fit into larger biological pathways and regulatory networks.
Enhanced Composition Section
Stoichiometry Data: For complexes where the subunit ratios have been experimentally determined, you’ll now see the exact stoichiometry, providing quantitative information about complex architecture.
Structural Information:
Organized Display: Subunits are now grouped by their roles or relationships within the complex, making it easier to understand how the complex is organized.
Easy Navigation: Each subunit links directly to its SGD gene page, so you can access detailed information on individual components.

Shared Biology Networks
Complex pages now include a Shared Biology section that shows GO annotations shared with other complexes, subunits shared between complexes, and ranked lists that prioritize the most functionally related complexes.

Improved User Experience Throughout

New Functional Networks sections are now available on gene and complex pages. This addition helps researchers understand how genes and proteins work together in biological systems.
Ever wondered which other genes might have similar functions to your gene of interest? The Shared Annotations network visualizes genes that share similar Gene Ontology (GO) annotations with your query gene. These networks are generated based on overlapping GO terms across Molecular Function, Biological Process, and Cellular Component.
Why is this useful?
Most genes in the S. cerevisiae genome have sufficient GO annotations to generate these networks, providing broad coverage across the yeast proteome.
GO-CAMs (Gene Ontology Causal Activity Models) represent an exciting advancement in pathway representation. Unlike traditional GO annotations that link individual genes to single terms, GO-CAMs show how multiple gene products work together in integrated pathway models with causal relationships showing how one molecular activity leads to another.

What makes GO-CAMs special?
Currently, 470 yeast genes are associated with GO-CAM models, and this number continues to grow as additional pathways are curated.
When multiple GO-CAM models are available for a gene, you can easily switch between them using a pull-down menu. Each model includes a “View GO-CAM at Gene Ontology” link that opens the interactive pathway in AmiGO, where you can explore detailed evidence codes, supporting references, and connections to other pathways.
We’ve also added a Shared Biology section to macromolecular complex pages. This section shows:
This helps researchers understand how protein complexes relate to each other and identify functionally similar complexes.

Simply navigate to any gene page at SGD and scroll to the Functional Networks section (located beneath Gene Ontology). For complex pages, look for the Shared Biology section.
The GO-CAM display on SGD gene pages replicates the implementation from the Alliance of Genome Resources, providing a consistent user experience across model organism databases. This integration reflects our commitment to making yeast data accessible and interoperable with other genomic resources.
SGD’s chemical pages have been redesigned to provide comprehensive information about small molecules relevant to yeast biology such as metabolites, drugs, and experimental compounds, all in a more accessible, more user-friendly format.
Small molecules play crucial roles in yeast biology, from essential metabolites that keep cells functioning to experimental compounds that reveal how cellular processes work. SGD chemical pages bring together curated information about how these chemicals affect yeast, connecting chemical entities to genes, phenotypes, and biological pathways.
The redesigned pages now display interactive 2D chemical structures prominently at the top of each page. These structures clearly show molecular connectivity and functional groups, providing immediate visual recognition of the compound.

No need to navigate between multiple tabs! Everything you need to know about a chemical is now presented on a single, unified page:
Comprehensive Identifiers and Database Links:
This integration makes it easy to explore the chemical across multiple resources and access broader chemical and metabolic information.
Each chemical page now includes rich experimental data curated from the yeast literature:
Phenotype Annotations
See the effects of the chemical on yeast:

This section includes annotation statistics, top genes and phenotypes involving each chemical. Every phenotype annotation is linked to supporting experimental evidence and literature references, so you can trace findings back to the original research.
Gene Ontology Annotations and Enrichment
The GO Annotations section shows how the chemical is annotated within the Gene Ontology framework, connecting it to specific biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components.
For metabolites, you’ll also find links to relevant metabolic pathways in YeastPathways throughout the GO annotation tables, connecting chemical entities to their biological context in small molecule metabolism.
The GO Enrichment section shows which biological processes and molecular functions are significantly associated with genes affected by the chemical, helping you:
Shared Chemicals Network
The Shared Chemicals section displays other chemical entities that share similar properties, annotations, or biological roles. This makes it easy to:

Complete Literature Coverage
The References section compiles all publications from which data about the chemical has been curated. This provides direct access to the primary literature and shows you the full scope of research on each compound.

SGD maintains the most up-to-date version of the complete genomic sequence of S. cerevisiae strain S288C. If your lab has characterized a gene or genomic feature that isn’t yet annotated, getting it added is a meaningful contribution. Here’s what SGD needs from you to do that:

SGD only adds features based on published data. All coordinates, strand information, and sequence data must already be explicitly reported in a peer-reviewed publication. Depositing the sequence, including the genome sequence version used, in a public repository such as GenBank is also required.
Genome annotation updates at SGD are released periodically rather than continuously. When a new feature is identified, it is added to the list of new features that will be reviewed for incorporation into the next update. There are three good moments to contact us at sgd-helpdesk@lists.stanford.edu:
Before publication — if your paper is in preparation or under review, reaching out early lets curators know to watch for it. They can review the manuscript details and be ready to act as soon as it is accepted and assigned a PMID.
At or after publication — once your paper is published and indexed in PubMed, contact us with the PMID and point curators to where the relevant data appear in the paper.
If your paper is already in SGD but the feature is missing — SGD has curated thousands of papers and may have captured some findings from a publication while missing others. If you notice that a gene from your own work hasn’t been annotated, let us know and we will revisit the paper.
Have you ever wondered where you can find information about the 5′ and 3′ UTRs (untranslated regions) for a list of yeast genes? If you’re working with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and need UTR information, we have several solutions depending on your needs.
If you’re analyzing multiple genes or need comprehensive UTR data, downloading our complete datasets is the most efficient approach.


Access the SGD Downloads site: http://sgd-archive.yeastgenome.org/sequence/S288C_reference/
Download these two files:
These files contain FASTA-formatted sequences for all annotated ORF UTRs in the yeast genome. Once you download and extract the files, you can easily parse the sequences to determine lengths for your genes of interest. README files with additional details are located in the same folder.

For looking up UTR data on individual genes or specific gene lists, use the Gene -> UTRs template in AllianceMine:
https://www.alliancegenome.org/bluegenes/alliancemine/templates/Gene_UTRs
This tool allows you to input your genes of interest and retrieve UTR information in a structured, easy-to-use format.

If you prefer to explore UTR features in their genomic context, check out the UTR tracks in SGD’s JBrowse genome browser: https://jbrowse.yeastgenome.org
The visual browser lets you see UTRs alongside other genomic features, making it ideal for examining individual loci or exploring chromosomal regions.
One of the most frequent questions we receive at the SGD Helpdesk is: “Where can I order yeast strains for my research?” We’ve compiled a guide to help you locate the strains you need, whether you’re looking for deletion mutants, specific genetic backgrounds, or specialized collections.

SGD makes it easy to locate available strains directly from gene pages. Here’s how:
The Resources section includes direct links to several strain resources:

The following release notes are being published in advance of an upcoming release of the Alliance of Genome Resources website and dataset, expected August/September 2026, to give ample warning to Alliance end users and developers that data and/or APIs are changing so that they can update their data pipelines accordingly. Until the release goes live, some links and references may not have yet taken effect.
The 9.1.0 release includes data refreshes from each of the model organism source databases as well as various backend improvements.
As of release 9.1.0, there are new Genes and Phenotypes download files on the Alliance Downloads page. Prior releases included Gene Descriptions downloadable files; these files have been removed and replaced by the new Genes download files that contain the respective gene descriptions. All downloadable JSON file formats and some TSV file formats have changed.
Several API endpoints have changed their response payload format to include new, richer data and JSON files formatted according to the Alliance LinkML Data Model, including all endpoints that return download files available on the Alliance Downloads page. These include the following endpoints:
Several TSV files have changed format, including:
Note that stable URLs for Alliance download files have changed in many instances and likely need to be updated in downstream consuming applications. For example, the all species disease JSON download stable URL has changed from: https://fms.alliancegenome.org/download/DISEASE-ALLIANCE-JSON_COMBINED.json.gz
to: https://www.alliancegenome.org/download/DISEASE-ALLIANCE_JSON_COMBINED.json.gz
Additional API changes affect disease annotation endpoints and phenotype annotation endpoints. See the full release notes for complete details.

microPublication Biology is part of the emerging genre of rapidly-published research communications. microPublications publishes brief, novel findings, negative and/or reproduced results, and results which may initially lack a broader scientific narrative.
Each article is peer-reviewed, assigned a DOI, and indexed through PubMed and PubMedCentral. Consider microPublications when you have a result that doesn’t necessarily fit into a larger story, but will be of value to others. Latest yeast microPublications:
Note: The goal of this newsletter is to inform our users about new features in SGD and to foster communication within the yeast community. If you wish to receive this newsletter via email, please contact the SGD Help Desk at sgd-helpdesk@lists.stanford.edu.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Newsletter, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, yeast
May 27, 2026
About this newsletter:
This is the May 2026 issue of the SGD newsletter. The goal of this newsletter is to inform our users about new features in SGD and to foster communication within the yeast community.

The Yeast Genetics Meeting is the premier meeting for people studying various aspects of eukaryotic biology in yeast, the major model organism for understanding human cell biology and human disease mechanisms. This international meeting has a 40-year history and is held every two years in North America.
The SGD team will be at this year’s Yeast Genetics Meeting at Asilomar, and we’d love to connect with you! We’re hosting a workshop and will have a table and posters throughout the conference.
Workshop: Unlocking Yeast Biology with SGD: Tools, Data, and Discovery
Monday, June 15, 2026 | 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Learn how to leverage the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD) to accelerate your research. This workshop will highlight key tools, curated datasets, and practical strategies for exploring gene function, pathways, and genomic data in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Whether you’re a longtime SGD user or new to the resource, you’ll discover ways to make the most of SGD’s comprehensive data and analysis tools.
Stop by our table and posters during the meeting to chat with the SGD team, share your feedback, ask questions, or learn about the latest updates to SGD and the Alliance of Genome Resources. We look forward to seeing you there!

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new BLAST service for Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD) data, now available at the Alliance of Genome Resources. This release marks another significant milestone in our ongoing effort to migrate SGD services and data to the Alliance platform, ensuring continued access to essential yeast genomics tools within an integrated, multi-organism framework.
What’s New
The Alliance BLAST service provides researchers with powerful sequence similarity search capabilities against SGD datasets, maintaining the functionality that the yeast research community has relied on for years while benefiting from the Alliance’s modern infrastructure and cross-species integration.
Key Features
Part of a Broader Migration
This BLAST service is part of our comprehensive strategy to transition SGD resources to the Alliance of Genome Resources. This migration ensures that:
Visit the Alliance of Genome Resources to access the new services for SGD BLAST and Fungal BLAST. The datasets will be familiar to longtime SGD users.
We remain committed to supporting the yeast research community through this transition. Additional SGD tools and features will continue to migrate to the Alliance platform in the coming months. Stay tuned for updates, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
Textpresso is a specialized literature search tool provided by SGD that allows users to search through full-text scientific articles using keywords.

It’s particularly useful for finding specific mentions of genes, phenotypes, or experimental details that might not appear in article abstracts.
Textpresso has implemented a new authentication system using Amazon Cognito as part of the ongoing migration to the Alliance of Genome Resources infrastructure. Previously, Textpresso could be used without logging in, but going forward, all users will need to create a free account through a simple self-signup process. The new system provides secure authentication while maintaining the powerful literature search capabilities researchers depend on. When you next visit Textpresso, you’ll be prompted to create an account using your email address. You’ll receive a verification code to complete the setup, and then you’ll be ready to search. Your existing Textpresso bookmarks will continue to work, you’ll just need to log in first. More information: http://textmining.textpresso.org/new-login-system/
Have you discovered the function of a previously uncharacterized Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene? Here’s everything you need to know about giving it an official standard name.
Understanding Yeast Gene Nomenclature
SGD maintains the S. cerevisiae nomenclature according to guidelines established by the yeast research community. These conventions ensure consistency and clarity across the field, making it easier for researchers worldwide to communicate about genes and their functions.
The Naming Rules
Valid standard names for S. cerevisiae ORFs follow a simple but important format:
This naming convention has served the yeast community well for decades, creating an intuitive system where gene names often provide immediate clues about biological roles.
How to Reserve Your Gene Name
If you’re preparing to publish work on a gene that currently has only a systematic name (like YAL037W), reserve a standard name through SGD before publication. Here’s how:

The Reservation Process
Best Practices for Publication
When you’re ready to publish, we recommend:
✓ Double-check the literature to ensure your chosen name is still unique
✓ Include both the ORF name and gene name in your abstract – this helps SGD and other databases find and curate your paper efficiently
✓ Verify your reservation is still active if your publication timeline will extend beyond the initial twelve-month period
Need More Information?
You can review the nomenclature conventions for yeast on our Help pages. The complete gene naming process is described in detail in our Gene Naming Guidelines.
Questions?
The SGD team is here to help! If you have questions about the gene name reservation process or nomenclature guidelines, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
The 9.0.0 release includes data refreshes from each of the model organism source databases as well as various backend improvements.
Updates and improvements have been made to the following pages:
The 8.3.0 release includes data refreshes from each of the model organism source databases as well as various backend improvements.
Updates and improvements have been made to the following pages:
microPublication Biology is part of the emerging genre of rapidly-published research communications. microPublications publishes brief, novel findings, negative and/or reproduced results, and results which may initially lack a broader scientific narrative. Each article is peer-reviewed, assigned a DOI, and indexed through PubMed and PubMedCentral. Consider microPubublications when you have a result that doesn’t necessarily fit into a larger story, but will be of value to others. Latest yeast microPublications:
Recently, PomBase learned that their grant application to the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for three years of funding was unsuccessful.

This decision places PomBase on a path to closure. Without alternative support, which at present seems unlikely, Pombase will lose not only the database but also the specialist expertise required to curate, maintain, and develop it. All three staff are funded entirely through grants; when funding stops, the resource and the knowledge behind it disappear together.
PomBase, like SGD, is a core piece of scientific infrastructure. It underpins research far beyond the yeast community, enabling discovery, reproducibility, and data integration across the life sciences. Losing it would not be a local setback; it would be a permanent loss to the global research ecosystem.
This is not just about PomBase. Essential bioinformatics resources are at risk. Other model organism databases, like SGD and Flybase, are under the same funding squeeze. FlyBase now requires support by direct fees from the community to sustain its curation. The wider scientific community must choose to sustain the shared infrastructure that drives modern biology and innovation. The contraction of funding has exposed a systemic vulnerability in how we fund biological data resources. We urge funders, institutions, and the community to recognize what is at stake. Once lost, resources like PomBase, Flybase, and SGD cannot simply be rebuilt.

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of David Botstein, a towering figure in modern genetics and a foundational force behind the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD).
SGD began in the early 1990s in David’s lab at Stanford University, and his vision for a rigorously curated, community-centered resource set the course for what SGD is today. His belief that carefully organized, interoperable data would accelerate discovery has guided our work from the start and continues to shape our mission.
David’s scientific impact is vast and enduring. He co-authored the landmark 1980 paper introducing the use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) for human genetic mapping, a conceptual breakthrough that opened the door to finding disease genes well before whole-genome sequencing was possible. He later helped usher in the era of genome-wide expression analysis, demonstrating how systematic measurement and clustering of gene expression could illuminate cellular pathways, regulatory programs, and physiological states. Across decades, his work, leadership, and mentorship helped define the fields of genetics and genomics.
Yeast, and the global community that studies it, benefited enormously from David’s clarity of thought and sense of purpose. He championed model organisms as engines of insight, insisting that fundamental principles uncovered in yeast could illuminate biology more broadly. From the beginning, he advocated for standards, reproducibility, and open data, principles that remain at the heart of SGD. Many of the practices we still rely on, including careful literature-based curation, genotype-to-phenotype integration, and community engagement, grew directly from his vision.
David was also a gifted mentor and collaborator. He trained and inspired generations of scientists, curators, engineers, and students, encouraging bold ideas and rigorous tests of those ideas. Those who worked with him remember his incisive questions, his generosity with time and credit, and his unwavering commitment to getting the science right. His influence extends through the many people he mentored and the communities and institutes he helped build at MIT, Stanford, Princeton, and beyond.
To the SGD team, David’s legacy is personal. We have been honored to steward a resource he helped bring into being, and we remain committed to the principles he championed: accuracy, openness, and service to the community.
We extend our deepest condolences to David’s family, friends, colleagues, and the many people around the world who learned from and were inspired by him.
Note: If you wish to receive this newsletter via email, please contact the SGD Help Desk at sgd-helpdesk@lists.stanford.edu.
Categories: Newsletter
Tags: Newsletter
December 13, 2023
About this newsletter:
This is the December 2023 issue of the SGD newsletter. The goal of this newsletter is to inform our users about new features in SGD and to foster communication within the yeast community. You can view this newsletter, as well as previous newsletters, on the SGD Community Wiki.
The S. cerevisiae strain S288C reference genome annotation was updated. The new genome annotation is release R64.4.1, dated 2023-08-23. Note that the underlying genome sequence itself was not altered in any way.
This annotation update included:
new uORFs for 3 ORFs:
8 new ncRNAs:
3 ORFs demoted from ‘Uncharacterized’ to ‘Dubious’ based on request from NCBI because they overlap tRNAs:
Various sequence and annotation files are available on SGD’s Downloads site. You can find more update details on the Details of 2023 Reference Genome Annotation Update R64.4 SGD Wiki page.

SGD’s instance of Textpresso has recently been updated! Each week, SGD biocurators triage new publications from PubMed to load the newest yeast papers into the database. Once they are in SGD, those papers get indexed and loaded into Textpresso – a tool for full-text mining and searching.
This is the new part: Content updates in SGD’s Textpresso are now happening on a weekly basis, meaning you can search full text of the very latest yeast papers!
You already love Textpresso for searching full text and its other bells and whistles:
Textpresso can be accessed via the “Full-text Search” link under “Literature” in the purple toolbar that runs across the top of most SGD webpages. Now you can search full text of the very latest yeast papers each week!

YeastPathways, which is the database of metabolic pathways and enzymes in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is manually curated and maintained by the curation team at SGD.
This resource is jam-packed with information, but somewhat hidden from view. To make the pathways more readily accessible, some time ago we added a new section with pathways links on the relevant gene pages. Now the pathways are available in SGD Search!
The category “Biochemical Pathways” is now available, with facets (i.e., subcategories) for References and Loci. For even easier access, we also added the Pathway names and IDs to the autocomplete in the Search box, to enable quick browsing. Enjoy!

microPublication Biology is part of the emerging genre of rapidly-published research communications. We are seeing a strong set of microPublications come through the database and are glad for this venue to publish brief, novel findings, negative and/or reproduced results, and results which may initially lack a broader scientific narrative. Each article is peer-reviewed, assigned a DOI, and indexed through PubMed and PubMedCentral.
Consider microPubublications when you have a result that doesn’t necessarily fit into a larger story, but will be of value to others.
Latest yeast microPublications:
All yeast microPublications can be found in SGD.

YeastMine is SGD’s data warehouse, powered by InterMine. We have so many templates (i.e., pre-defined queries) that provide access to so many different kinds of data.
A big area of focus for SGD and the yeast community is alleles. Alleles are different versions of genes that vary in DNA and sometimes protein sequence. Did you know that you can easily and quickly get all curated yeast allele data directly from YeastMine?
The Genes -> Alleles template returns data for one gene or a list of genes or the entire genome! Data include standard and systematic names for genes, gene name descriptions, allele names and descriptions, allele types, aliases, and references. SGDIDs for genes are included, and now SGDIDs for the alleles have been added. Previously, this query returned all of these data without the SGDIDs for the alleles. Based on user feedback, we have now made these allele SGDIDs available, so that they can be used to identify and distinguish different alleles.
Back in the day, SGD maintained an FTP site to distribute data in various files. More recently, you have found these files in the SGD Downloads site. We have now moved these files to YeastMine:
From the YeastMine homepage, click Templates at top left. In the Filter, select ‘Downloads’ to constrain the list of templates.
The following query templates are listed under Downloads:
For help using YeastMine, please see the SGD Help Pages and our YeastMine playlist on the SGD YouTube Channel.

SGD curators use the Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI) Ontology, maintained by EMBL-EBI, to describe chemicals used in experiments curated from yeast publications and displayed on SGD webpages.
You may have noticed that we have recently added chemical structures provided by ChEBI to the Chemical pages in SGD! Click the structure to zoom in, click again to zoom back out.
It’s a small detail, but we love this feature, and hope that you do too! Thanks, ChEBI!

The Alliance of Genome Resources, a collaborative effort between SGD and other model organism databases (MOD), released version 6.0 in September 2023.
Version 6.0 adds new features to gene pages:

Discourse, Mastodon, BlueSky – oh my! Social media is in a chaotic period, with once tight-knit communities having been dismantled and thrown into the ether. SGD feels your pain; we have been searching for our audience, waiting for the stardust to settle, coagulate, coalesce…. In the interim, in an effort to reach you, we have set up SGD outposts on various platforms:
Discourse: The Alliance of Genome Resources Community Forum brings together communities of the major model organisms – yeast, worm, fly, zebrafish, frog, rat, and mouse – in one place. Users can create accounts to post announcements and questions, and chat with other researchers in a science-focused arena. Contact SGD for an invited account, which has additional permissions.
Mastodon: We’re just getting started with Mastodon; follow SGD at @yeastgenome@genomic.social
BlueSky: We’ve also just begun with BlueSky; follow SGD at @yeastgenome.bsky.social
We will be cross-posting to the various accounts – come find SGD on these platforms and we can navigate this latest social media adventure together!

We want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family, friends and lab mates the best during the upcoming holidays. Stanford University will be closed for two weeks starting December 21, reopening on January 4th, 2024. Although SGD staff members will be taking time off, the website will be up and running throughout the winter break, and we will resume responding to user requests and questions in the new year.
Note: If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact the SGD Help Desk at sgd-helpdesk@lists.stanford.edu.
Categories: Newsletter
Tags: Newsletter
December 14, 2021
About this newsletter:
This is the Fall 2021 issue of the SGD newsletter. The goal of this newsletter is to inform our users about new features in SGD and to foster communication within the yeast community. You can view this newsletter as well as previous newsletters on our Community Wiki.

SGD has made recent updates to our protein complex pages to improve clarity and ease of use. The new pages for each complex will have the same format as gene pages, with tabs across the top for each category of information, including a Summary page, a Gene Ontology page, and a Literature page. Just as we do for all of your favorite genes, Gene Ontology and Literature curation for complexes will be ongoing.
If you have any questions or feedback about the updates to our complex pages, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.
SGD has long been the keeper of the official Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene nomenclature. Robert Mortimer handed over this responsibility to SGD in 1993 after maintaining the yeast genetic map and gene nomenclature for 30 years.
The accepted format for gene names in S. cerevisiae comprises three uppercase letters followed by a number. The letters typically signify a phrase (referred to as the “Name Description” in SGD) that provides information about a function, mutant phenotype, or process related to that gene, for example “ADE” for “ADEnine biosynthesis” or “CDC” for “Cell Division Cycle”. Gene names for many types of chromosomal features follow this basic format regardless of the type of feature named, whether an ORF, a tRNA, another type of non-coding RNA, an ARS, or a genetic locus. Some S. cerevisiae gene names that pre-date the current nomenclature standards do not conform to this format, such as MRLP38, RPL1A, and OM45.
A few historical gene names predate both the nomenclature standards and the database, and were less computer-friendly than more recent gene names, due to the presence of punctuation. SGD recently updated these gene names to be consistent with current standards and to be more software-friendly by removing punctuation. The old names for these four genes have been retained as aliases.
| ORF | Old gene name | New gene name |
|---|---|---|
| YGL234W | ADE5,7 | ADE57 |
| YER069W | ARG5,6 | ARG56 |
| YBR208C | DUR1,2 | DUR12 |
| YIL154C | IMP2′ | IMP21 |
For many years, a widely adopted systematic nomenclature has existed for yeast protein-coding genes, or ORFs, as many yeast researchers call them. Readers of the last SGD newsletter will recall that, earlier this year, SGD adopted a new systematic nomenclature for the entire annotated complement of ncRNAs.
We have just put into place a new systematic nomenclature for S. cerevisiae genes that are not found in the reference genome of strain S288C (“non-reference” genes). This new systematic nomenclature is similar to, but distinct from, that used for ORFs and that used for ncRNAs. Non-reference genes are designated by a symbol consisting of three uppercase letters and a four-digit number, as follows: Y for “Yeast”, SC for “Saccharomyces cerevisiae”, and a four-digit number corresponding to the sequential order in which the gene was added to SGD. We currently have 55 of these genes in SGD, some of which are old favorites like MAL21/YSC0004 and MATA/YSC0046, while others are more recent additions like XDH1/YSC0051. Going forward, as evidence is published pointing to other S. cerevisiae genes not present in the S288C reference genome, they will be added to the annotation using the next sequential number available. We already have 15 more of these YSC0000 names reserved by researchers and awaiting publication.
If you have some non-reference genes for which these names would be appropriate, please let us know!
Would you like to see the shape of your protein?
SGD now contains links to AlphaFold in the Resources sections of the Summary, Protein, and Homology pages for every gene.
We recently replaced HomoloGene, Ensembl, TreeFam and PANTHER homology datasets in YeastMine with homology data from DIOPT (DRSC integrative ortholog prediction tool). DIOPT integrates orthology predictions from multiple sources, including HomoloGene, Ensembl, TreeFam, and PANTHER. Using the Gene->Non-fungal and S. cerevisiae Homologs pre-generated query, you can look for DIOPT homologs for a single or multiple yeast genes. The results table provides identifiers and standard names for the yeast and homologous genes, as well as organism and predictive score information. As with other YeastMine templates, results can be saved as lists and analyzed further.
Pre-generated queries for human homolog(s) of your favorite yeast gene and their corresponding disease associations remain largely unchanged. You can begin with your favorite human gene or disease keyword and retrieve the yeast counterparts of the relevant gene(s). As an example, you can search for the S. cerevisiae homologs of all human genes associated with disorders that contain the keyword “diabetes” (view search). The results table provides identifiers and standard names for the yeast and human genes, OMIM gene and disease identifiers and name, as well as predictive algorithm sources and scores.
The Alliance of Genome Resources, a collaborative effort from SGD and other model organism databases (MOD), released version 4.1 this past August. Notable improvements and new features include:
From October 12-14, SGD biocurators attended the Gene Ontology Consortium’s Fall Meeting with participants from around the world. The goal of these meetings is to bring together data scientists with diverse backgrounds (curators, programmers, etc.) for lively discussions regarding how to better capture, curate, analyze, and serve data to researchers, educators, students, and other life science professionals. Our goal in participating in these meetings each year is to find ways to make SGD even better for you!
Discussion topics included, but were not limited to:
We know that 2021 has been another challenging year for everyone. Our thoughts go out to all those who have been impacted by recent events. We wish you and your family, friends, and lab mates the best during the upcoming holidays.
Stanford University will be closed for two weeks starting December 20, and will reopen on January 3rd, 2022. Although SGD staff members will be taking time off, the website will be up and running throughout the winter break, and we will resume responding to user requests and questions in the new year.
Categories: Newsletter