Combining genome shuffling and interspecific hybridization among Streptomyces improved ε-poly-L-lysine production.

Here we first improved the ε-PL productivity in five species of wild-type strains in Streptomyces (Streptomyces padanus, Streptomyces griseofuscus, Streptomyces graminearus, Streptomyces hygroscopicus, and Streptomyces albulus) by genome shuffling. Then all the shuffled strains were suffered from an interspecific hybridization through stochastic protoplast fusion. One hybrid designated FEEL-1 was selected by morphology and spore color with ε-PL production of 1.