Use of an ethanol sensor for feedback control of growth and expression of TBV25H in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A process for production of a malaria transmission blocking vaccine candida te under the control of the ADH2 promoter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was d eveloped. Monitoring and controlling the ethanol concentration during the p rocess is essential for successful expression of the recombinant protein. A simple sensor accomplishing this task has been developed, the principle of its operation is the following: air-flow through silicone tubing submerged in the media picks up ethanol, which is detected by an alcohol sensor that relays a signal to a controller regulating the amount of ethanol added to the culture. The sensor was used successfully in high cell density cultures of various scales. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 63: 285-289, 1999.