Advanced methods for high-throughput microscopy screening of genetically modified yeast libraries.

High-throughput methodologies have created new opportunities for studying biological phenomena in an unbiased manner. Using automated cell manipulations and microscopy platforms, it is now possible to easily screen entire genomes for genes that affect any cellular process that can be visualized. The onset of these methodologies promises that the near future will bring with it a more comprehensive and richly integrated understanding of complex and dynamic cellular structures and processes. In this review, we describe how to couple systematic genetic tools in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae alongside robotic visualization systems to attack biological questions. The combination of high-throughput microscopy screens with the powerful, yet simple, yeast model system for studying the eukaryotic cell should pioneer new knowledge in all areas of cell biology.