Engineering desiccation tolerance in Escherichia coli

Recombinant sucrose-6-phosphate synthase (SpsA) was synthesized in Escheric hia coli BL21DE3 by using the spsA gene of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. Transformants exhibited a 10,000-fold increase in sur vival compared to wild-type cells following either freeze-drying, air dryin g, or desiccation over phosphorus pentoside, The phase transition temperatu res and vibration frequencies (P=O stretch) in phospholipids suggested that sucrose maintained membrane fluidity during cell dehydration.