Forced expression of FLO11 confers pellicle-forming ability and furfural tolerance on Saccharomyces cerevisiae in ethanol production.

We constructed a plasmid that expresses FLO11 encoding a cell surface glycoprotein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of a constitutive promoter. This plasmid conferred pellicle-forming ability on the non-pellicle-forming industrial strain of S. cerevisiae at the air-liquid interface of the glucose-containing liquid medium. The induced pellicle-forming cells exhibited tolerance to furfural, which is a key toxin in lignocellulosic hydrolysates, in ethanol production.