Enhanced thermotolerance for ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain by overexpression of the gene coding for trehalose-6-phosphate synthase.

Ming-Zhe An, Yue-Qin Tang, Kanako Mitsumasu, Ze-Shen Liu, Morimura Shigeru, Kida Kenji

Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kurokami 2-39-1, Kumamoto, Japan.

Biotechnology letters 2011 Jul

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The effect of overexpression of the trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) synthase gene (TPS1) on ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been studied at 30 and 38°C. The activity of T6P synthase and the accumulation of trehalose during ethanol fermentation were significantly improved by overexpression of TPS1, and especially at 38°C. Ethanol produced by transformants with and without TPS1 gene overexpression at 38°C was approx. 60 and 37 g/l, respectively. The fermentation efficiency of transformants with TPS1 gene overexpression at 38°C was similar to that at 30°C. The critical growth temperature was increased from 36 to 42°C by TPS1 gene overexpression. These results indicated that overexpression of the TPS1 gene had a beneficial effect on the fermentation capacity of the title yeast strain at high temperatures.

Citation

Ming-Zhe An, Yue-Qin Tang, Kanako Mitsumasu, Ze-Shen Liu, Morimura Shigeru, Kida Kenji. Enhanced thermotolerance for ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain by overexpression of the gene coding for trehalose-6-phosphate synthase. Biotechnology letters. 2011 Jul;33(7):1367-74