Abstract
For the improvement of the L-lysine productivity of Brevibacterium flavum and Corynebacterium glutamicum, fusants were induced by interspecific protoplast fusion of Bacillus subtilis with C. glutamicum and B. flavum. The following results were obtained through protoplast formation of strains condition of protoplast fusion, characteristics of the fusants, and the productivity of lysine form starch. B. flavum BF-5 and C. glutamicum protoplasts were made by the treatment of 0.3unit/$m\ell$ of penicillin G at the early stationary growth phase for 2 hours followed by incubation with 10mg/$m\ell$ of lysozyme at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 120 min. When a mixture of the protoplast was treated with 30% PEG(M.W.6,000) solution containing 50mM CaCl2 at optimal conditions, the intergeneric fusion frequency between protoplasts of C. glutamicum CG-2 and B. subtilis BD 224 was 7.1${\times}$105. The genetic properties on the L-lysine producing fusants were compared with those of parental strains. As a results, the intergeneric fusants were completed in each auxotrophic requirement, resistances for S-(2-amino-ethyl)-L-cysteine and kanamycine were confirmed. And one of fusants selected, FBB-41 were found to be genetically stable fusants. The aspartokinase activity of FBB-41 strain increased than that of the parent strain.