• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.232-237
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• 1993

A strain of yeast which can convert starch directly to ethanol was developed by the intergeneric protoplast fusion between Schwanniomyces alluvius possessing $\alpha$ amylase as well as glucoamylase with debranching activity and FSC-14-75 which previously had been formed from a heterologous transformation and subsequent intergeneric protoplast fusion. Fusants were selected on minimal medium after protoplasts of auxotrophic mutant of S. alluvius fused with heat-treated protoplasts of FSC-14-75 in the presence of 30%(w/v) PEG and 20 mM $CaCl_2$. The fusion frequency was in the range of $10^{-6}$ order. All fusants tested were intermediate types of parental strains for carbon compound assimilation, and their cell volumes were approximately 1.1 times larger than FSC-14-75 and 1.8 times larger than S. alluvius. The fusants were unable to sporulate like FSC-14-75, while S. alluvius could sporulate. In flask scale the most promising fusant, FSCSa-R10-6, produced 7.83%(v/v) and 10.17%(v/v) ethanol from 15% and 20% of liquefied potato starch, respectively, indicating that the fermetation efficiency of each case increased 1.2 times and 1.6 times than that of FSC-14-75. The elution pattern on DEAE-cellulose chromatography showed that FSCSa-R10-6 has four distinct amylase peaks of which two peaks originated from S. alluvius and the other two from FSC-14-75. These results suggest that the enhanced fermentation efficiency of the fusant might be due to almost-complemented parental amylases.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.534-541
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• 1993

The relationship between Schwanniomyces occidentalis CBS 2863 (formerly castellii) and CBS 1153 (formerly alluvius), and their variety persoonii was examined at alpha-amylase gene level. Using Sch. occidentalis alpha-amylase gene as probe, Sch. occidentalis alpha-amylase gene homologues were obtained from Sch. occidentalis CBS 1153 and Sch. occidentalis var. persoonii. The restriction analysis of these homologues showed that the restriction enzyme sites between Sch. occidentalis CBS 2863 and CBS 1153 was identical but different between these strains and Sch. occidentalis var. persoonii.