High-efficiency, one-step starch utilization by transformed Saccharomyces cells which secrete both yeast glucoamylase and mouse alpha-amylase.

Abstract

Transformed, hybrid Saccharomyces strains capable of simultaneous secretion of glucoamylase and alpha-amylase have been produced. These strains could carry out direct, one-step assimilation of starch, with conversion efficiency greater than 93% during a 5-day growth period. One of the transformants converted 92.8% of available starch into reducing sugars in only 2 days. Glucoamylase secretion by these strains resulted from expression of one or more chromosomal STA genes derived from Saccharomyces diastaticus. The strains were transformed by a plasmid (pMS12) containing mouse salivary alpha-amylase cDNA in an expression vector containing yeast alcohol dehydrogenase promoter and a segment of yeast 2 micron plasmid. The major starch hydrolysis product produced by crude amylases found in culture broths was glucose, indicating that alpha-amylase and glucoamylase acted cooperatively.