The protoplast formation, regeneration and fusion of coryneform bacteria

In order to develope a protoplast fusion system for industrial coryneform bacteria, the optimum conditions for the formation and regeneration of progoplast were examined for Brevibacterium flavum and Corynebacterium glutamicum and the protoplast fusion was performed. For the formation of the protoplast of B. flavum and C. glutamicum, the optimum time for penicillin G. treatment to obtain protoplast was mid-exponential growth phase (). At the optimum conditions (0.3units/ml penicillin G and lysoyme for treatement), frequencies of protoplast formation and protoplast regeneration were 99% and 25%, respectively. Protoplast regeneration frequency was highest under the optimum conditions for the protoplast formation. Addition of 25mM to the regeneration medium further increased the regeneration frequencies. The protoplast fusion frequencies of B. flavum and C. glutamicum in intraspecies fusion were , of the regenerated protoplast respectively, when 33% of PEG (polythylene glycol) 6,000 was used as the fusing agent.