Technology Offer

Ref: 06 FR SOAA 0ERO

Date: 29/03/2006 19:15:24

Title: Yeast Fermentation for Industrial Production of Ribonucleic Acids (RNA)

Abstract: A French SME has developed a patented technology devoted to very long ribonucleic acids (RNA) production at an industrial scale. The process is based on brewery yeast (S. cerevisiae) fermentation and offers lower costs than other conventional RNA production techniques. RNAs are increasingly studied and used as research tools for pharmaceutical applications. The company is looking for technical cooperation and commercial agreements with pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories.

Description: RiboNucleic Acids (RNA) are more and more contributing to major discoveries in modern biological sciences, being studied in research laboratories or used as research tools. The process developed and exploited is based on the following: after mitochondrial transformation of a yeast strain using a biolistic gun, mitochondria of the strain are able to produce a unique RNA through DNA transcription. Yeast mitochondria are also exploited as RNA production and storage micro-units. The culture of the transformed strain on a sugar containing growth medium allows exponential multiplication of these RNA production and stocking micro-units. The strain also utilises sugar to synthesise its production and storage machinery, and to produce RNA. The mitochondrial compartment can then be easily recovered through cellular fractionation. At least, the unique RNA produced in mitochondria can be simply purified, given the fact that it is the only RNA present in the mitochondrial fraction. Innovative Aspects: The whole process is innovative and patented as a method for producing an heterologous RNA and a system for carrying out the production method, consisting of: 1- Transforming mitochondria of yeast cells free of mitochondrial RNA with a mitochondrial transcription vector comprising a copy of the DNA encoding the interest heterologous RNA, which are controlled by regulatory elements of the mitochondrial transcription and a reporter gene thereof or a fragment of said reporter gene. 2- Identifying yeast transformants by incorporating the interest DNA into the mitochondria thereof. 3- Culturing the yeast mitochondrial transformants selected at stage 2. 4- Isolating the mitochondria from the yeast mitochondrial transformants obtainable at stages 3. 5- Extracting and purifying the interest heterologous RNA from said mitochondria. 6- Lower costs than conventional techniques. 7- Large-scale production: e.g. above 1 mg. 8- Long RNA: >50 bases and up to 3000. 9- RNA quality (95% pure), each RNA is supplied with a certificate of analysis.