Isolation of a high-specific-growth-rate mutant of Cellulomonas flavigena on sugar cane bagasse

By treatment of a wild-type strain of Cellulomonas flavigena with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine at 150 g/ml, mutants PN-7 and PN-10 were obtained, which produce 1.38 and 1.5 times more carboxymethylcellulase than the wild strain when cultured in a batch system with sugar cane bagasse as the sole carbon source. These mutants also exhibited higher specific growth rates compared to the wild strain. From a second mutagenesis of mutant PN-10, mutant PN-120 was obtained in continuous culture. This mutant was able to use a larger portion of sugar cane bagasse than did the wild-type and therefore its biomass yield was also higher. The mutant showed a specific growth rate on sugar cane bagasse threefold higher than the wild strain.