Transformation of Endomyces fibuliger based on its gene for orotidine-5 '-phosphate decarboxylase

Endomyces fibuliger is a yeast used in the production of Chinese rice wine. It secretes enzymes such as glucoamylase, cc-amylase and acid protease. Ve ry little is known of the genetics of E. fibuliger. In order to develop a t ransformation system for this yeast, orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase m utant strains were obtained and characterized. Transformation of the E. fib uliger ura3 mutant Fl with an integrative plasmid that carried the wild-typ e URA3 gene of E. fibuliger gave complementation of this mutation. The E. f ibuliger gene encodes the orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase enzyme consi sting of 266 amino acid residues with a 69.4% sequence identity with orotid ine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our finding tha t E. fibuliger URA3 complements the ura3 mutation in S, cerevisiae confirms that the URA3 gene of E, fibuliger encodes a protein that exerts a similar function. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.