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

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.