Yeast Selective Media and Agar

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Materials

Minimal SD Base (Clontech 630411)
Dropout Supplement (as an example -Leu DO supplement has all the nutrients except leucine)
Bacto Agar (if making plates)

Selective yeast media is made so that a particular amino acid or nutrient (typically Leu, Trp, Ura, His or Ade) is missing and must be provided by the yeast strain. Therefore a yeast strain which is auxotrophic for that nutrient can only grow on that selective media if a selective plasmid is provided. See [Wikipedia Article on Auxotrophy]. As an example, BY4742 is auxotrophic for Leu, Lys, His and Ura. Therefore this strain cannot grow on -Leu plates, unless transformed with a plasmid containing the LEU2 gene. In this way transformants can be selected.

Preparation

Weigh out 2.67g/100 mL of Minimal SD Base and 0.069g/100mL of the appropriate dropout supplement.
If making plates, add 2g/100mL of bacto-agar
Stir to dissolve and check that pH is at 5.8
Autoclave for 20 min at 121C using the liquid cycle
Unless adding adenine hemisulfate, there is no need to let the media cool, so plates can be poured immediately.
Pour plates, let dry and store in the cold room