Genome architecture and stability in the S. cerevisiae knockout collection

While identification and analysis of genes affecting genome stability have traditionally relied on reporter assays, whole-genome sequencing technologies now enable, in principle, direct measurements of genome instability globally and at scale. Here, we have surveyed the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene knockout collection by sequencing the whole genomes of its strains, and characterized genomic changes caused by the absence of essentially any one of the non-essential yeast genes. Analysing this dataset (http://sgv.gurdon.cam.ac.uk) reveals genes affecting repetitive-element maintenance or mutagenesis, highlights cross-talks between nuclear and mitochondrial genome stability, and shows how strains have adapted to loss of non-essential genes.