A PRACTICAL METHOD FOR FISSION YEAST TRANSFORMATION BY ELECTROPORATION

High-voltage shock within a very short duration under the proper condi tions causes cells to incorporate exogenous macromolecules. This techn ique, electroporation, has been widely used in recent years to transfo rm many organisms. We determined optimum conditions for fission yeast transformation using this method. Of nineteen combinations of electric field strength and pulse time examined, 1.75 kV/0.2 cm, 4 msec pulse was found to provide approximately 4.0 X 10(5) transformants per mu g of DNA. Other factors responsible for the transformation efficiency in fission yeast are also discussed.