Budding yeast as a model to study epigenetics

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been, and continues to be, one of the most important model systems for biochemical, genetic, and cytologic study of fundamental cellular processes. Its small genome, short generation time, and ease of genetic manipulation have made yeast an ideal model for both sophisticated mechanistic studies and high-throughput screens. Here we focus on the histone deacetylase Sir2p to demonstrate how studies in yeast have been crucial to our current understanding of epigenetic regulation. We will highlight some of the scientific discoveries pioneered in yeast and also point out the value of this model system for the development and optimization of powerful genetic and biochemical tools.