rDNA copy number variation in yeast alters response to environmental conditions

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in eukaryotes is maintained in hundreds of copies with rDNA copy number varying greatly among individuals within a species. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the rDNA copy number across wild isolates ranges from 90 to 300 copies. Previous studies showed that 35 rDNA copies are sufficient for ribosome biogenesis in this yeast and enable wild-type-like growth in standard laboratory growth conditions. We addressed two major questions concerning rDNA copy number variation in this yeast: (1) What are the fitness consequences of rDNA copy number variation outside and within the natural range in standard laboratory growth conditions? (2) Do these fitness effects change in different growth conditions? We used growth competitions to compare the fitness effects of rDNA copy number variation in otherwise isogenic strains whose rDNA copy number ranged from 35 to 200. In standard growth conditions, we found that fitness gradually increases from 35 rDNA copies until reaching a plateau that spans from 98 to 160 rDNA copies, well within the natural range. However, rDNA copy number-dependent fitness differed across environments. Compared to standard growth conditions, strains with higher rDNA copy numbers showed improved fitness when grown at increased temperature or in glycerol media. Moreover, the gradual fitness increase with increasing rDNA copy number in standard growth conditions gave way to a markedly lower fitness of strains with copy numbers below the natural range in these two stress conditions. These results suggest that selective pressures drive rDNA copy number in this yeast to at least ~100 copies and that a higher number of copies buffers against environmental stress. The similarity of the S. cerevisiae rDNA copy number range to the ranges reported in C. elegans, D. melanogaster, and humans points to conserved selective pressures maintaining the range of natural rDNA copy number in these highly diverse species.