Application of a phosphite dehydrogenase gene as a novel dominant selection marker for yeasts

The use of antibiotic resistance markers in the commercial application of genetically modified microorganisms is limited due to restrictions on the release of antibiotics and their resistance genes to the environment. To avoid contamination by other microorganisms, the development of a dominant selection marker with low environmental risks is still needed. Here we demonstrated a new selection system for Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a bacterial phosphite dehydrogenase gene (ptxD). A Sz. pombe transformant carrying ptxD under a strong promoter or on a multicopy plasmid grew on a minimal medium containing phosphite (Pt) as a sole source of phosphorus. To adapt this system to S. cerevisiae strains, codon optimization of ptxD was necessary. The codon-optimized ptxD system appeared effective in not only laboratorial but also industrial S. cerevisiae strains that are diploid or polyploid. Since Pt is a safe and inexpensive chemical, ptxD could be used as a novel dominant selection marker applicable on an industrial scale.