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We successfully demonstrated batch ethanol fermentation repeated ten times from raw starch with high ethanol productivity. We constructed a yeast diploid strain coexpressing the maltose transporter AGT1, α-amylase, and glucoamylase. The introduction of AGT1 allows maltose and maltotriose fermentation as well as the improvement of amylase activities. We also found that α-amylase activity during fermentation was retained by the addition of 10 mM calcium ion and that the highest α-amylase activity was 9.26 U/ml during repeated fermentation. The highest ethanol productivity was 2.22 g/l/h at the fourth batch, and after ten cycles, ethanol productivity of more than 1.43 g/l/h was retained, as was α-amylase activity at 6.43 U/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a novel strategy for constructing yeast to improve levels of amylase gene expression and the practical potential of yeast by combining δ-integration and polyploidization through cell fusion. Streptococcus bovis α-amylase and Rhizopus oryzae glucoamylase/α-agglutinin fusion protein genes were integrated into haploid yeast strains. Diploid strains were constructed from these haploid strains by mating, and then a tetraploid strain was constructed by cell fusion. The α-amylase and glucoamylase activities of the tetraploid strain were increased up to 1.5- and tenfold, respectively, compared with the parental strain. The diploid and tetraploid strains proliferated faster, yielded more cells, and fermented glucose more effectively than the haploid strain. Ethanol productivity from raw starch was improved with increased ploidy; the tetraploid strain consumed 150 g/l of raw starch and produced 70 g/l of ethanol after 72 h of fermentation. Our strategy for constructing yeasts resulted in the simultaneous overexpression of genes integrated into the genome and improvements in the practical potential of yeasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]