Cloning of the Alkaline Phosphatase Gene from Kluyveromyces fragilis

In order to clone the gene coding for alkaline phosphatase in the yeast Kluyveromyces fragilis, a genomic library was constructed using the yeast-E. coli shuttle vector pHN114 as a cloning vector. From the genomic library, a clone carrying the gene was isolated and the plasmid was designated as pSKH101. A restriction enzyme map was made using this plasmid. Subcloning experiments and complementation studies showed that alkaline phosphatase was active only in the original 3.1 kb insert. Southern hybridization analysis confirmed that the cloned DNA fragment was derived from K. fragilis genomic DNA. Using a minicell experiment, the product of the cloned gene was identified as a protein with a molecular weight of 63 KDa. A 0.6 kb HindIII fragment, which showed promoter activity, was isolated using the E. coli promoter-probe vector pKO-1.