High osmotic stress improves electro-transformation efficiency of fission yeast

A preincubation of fission yeast cells with hyperosmotic solution improved the electro-transformation efficiency. The efficiency increased approximately five-fold when the cells were preincubated with 2.0 M sorbitol and 1.5 M NaCl at 30degreesC for 60 min before an applied high electric pulse. Losses in the efficiency of the cells after hyperosmotic stress above 2.5 M sorbitol and 2.0 M NaCl were directly related to the marked reduction of viability. The efficiency at 2.0 M sorbitol gradually increased until 60 min of the preincubation period, but longer exposure resulted in a gradual decrease. On the other hand, when the cells of the osmotic-sensitive mutant were preincubated with isosmotic solution of 0.5 M sorbitol, the efficiency was also dramatically increased by approximately 15-fold. These improvements in efficiency were observed in sublethal conditions of osmotic stress regardless of osmoticums and strains. (C) 2003 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.