Enhancement of stress tolerance and ethanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by heterologous expression of a trehalose biosynthetic gene from Streptomyces albus

• Published in: Biotechnology and bioprocess engineering Vol. 17; no. 5; pp. 986 - 996
• Main Authors: Moon, M.H., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Ryu, J.Y., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Choeng, Y.H., Myongji University, Yongin, Republic of Korea, Hong, S.K., Myongji University, Yongin, Republic of Korea, Kang, H.A., Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Chang, Y.K., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg The Korean Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering 01.10.2012; Springer Nature B.V; 한국생물공학회
• Subjects: Amino acids; Analysis; Batch culture; Biofuels; Bioreactors; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Cell culture; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cloning; Drug tolerance; E coli; Enzymes; Ethanol; ethanol production; Fermentation; Fungi; Genes; Glucose; Heat; Heat tolerance; High temperature; Industrial and Production Engineering; Phosphatase; Plasmids; Proteins; Research Paper; SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE; Streptomyces albus; Stress; stress resistance; Studies; Temperature effects; TREHALOSA; TREHALOSE; trehalose-6-phosphate synthase; Yeast; 생물공학; stress resistance; trehalose; ethanol production
• ISSN: 1226-8372; 1976-3816
• DOI: 10.1007/s12257-012-0148-5

The ability to grow and produce ethanol under stressful conditions is an important factor in industrial bioethanol production. Trehalose is found in many organisms including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and has been known to play an important role in enhancing various types of stress tolerance. In this study, Streptomyces albus trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene (salC) was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the recombinant strain with salC gene showed significantly improved stress resistances and ethanol production. The stress sensitivity and viability tests indicated that the recombinant had a greater resistance to ethanol than the control. At elevated temperatures, the results of flask cultures showed that the expression of salC played a positive role in protecting cells from heat stress. The recombinant strain was found to consume 100 g/L glucose and to produce 39 g/L ethanol at 40℃ with an ethanol yield 6% higher than that of the control strain. In the fed-batch experiment in a bioreactor the recombinant strain produced 69 g/L ethanol with about 16% higher yield and about 13% higher productivity than the control strain. This demonstrated the enhancement of ethanol production capabilities of the recombinant strain under a high-ethanol stress condition.