Temperature is one of the main relevant environmental variables that microorganisms have to cope with. For the majority of microorganisms, including yeast species, the natural environment exhibits temporal fluctuations in temperature on scales that range from daily to seasonal. Temperature is also a key factor in some industrial processes that involve microorganisms. For instance, low temperatures (10–15 °C) are used in wine fermentations to enhance production and to retain flavor volatiles. In this way, white and rosé wines can be achieved with greater aromatic complexity [1] and [2]. However, lowering fermentation temperatures has its disadvantages, including prolonged process duration and a higher risk of halted or sluggish fermentation [3]. These problems can be avoided by providing better-adapted yeasts to ferment at low temperature.
Low temperature has several effects on biochemical and physiological properties in yeast cells: poorly efficient protein translation; low fluidity membrane; changes in lipid composition; slow protein folding; stabilization of mRNA secondary structures; reduced enzymatic activities [4], [5], [6] and [7]. However, we are still far from understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms of adaptation at low temperatures, and from also knowing what makes them more psychrotolerant. From an industrial perspective, such knowledge is important to come up with better metabolic engineering strategies that consider the impact of novel genes and pathways on cold adaptation.