Improvement of cloned alpha-amylase gene expression in fed-batch culture of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae by regulating both glucose and ethanol concentrations using a fuzzy controller.

The effect of ethanol concentration on cloned gene expression in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 20B-12 containing one of two plasmids, pNA3 and pNA7, was investigated in batch cultures. Plasmids pNA3 and pNA7 contain the alpha-amylase gene under the control of the SUC2 or PGK promoter, respectively. When the ethanol concentration was controlled at 2 to 5 g/L, the gene expressions were two times higher than those at 20 g/L ethanol. The increase the gene expression by maintaining both the ethanol and glucose concentrations at low levels, a fuzzy controller was developed. The concentrations of glucose and ethanol were controlled simultaneously at 0.15 and 2 g/L, respectively, in the production phase using the fuzzy controller in fed-batch culture. The synthesis of alpha-amylase was induced by the low glucose concentration and maintained at a high level of activity by regulating the ethanol concentration at 2 g/L. The secretory alpha-amylase was induced by the low glucose concentration and maintained at a high level of activity by regulating the ethanol concentration at 2 g/L. The secretory alpha-amylase activities of cells harboring plasmids pNA3 and pNA7 in fed-batch culture were 175 and 395 U/mL, and their maximal specific activities 7.7 and 12.4 U/mg dry cells, respectively. These values are two to three times higher in activity and three to four times higher in specific activity than those obtained when glucose only was controlled.