Most of the widely used protocols for transforming yeast cells generally call for the preparation of fresh competent cells for each procedure. These preparations usually take two or three days, eating up valuable research time and creating some frustration with each new batch. There ought to be a better way.
Zymo Research of Orange, California, has come to the rescue with its Frozen-EZ Yeast Transformation Kit. Compatible with S. cerevisiae, S. pombe, C. albicans, and Pichia pastoris, the Frozen-EZ kit facilitates the preparation of competent yeast cells suitable for storage at -70°C and having improved transformation efficiencies compared to competent cells prepared by standard methods. This simple kit consists of only three solutions-two for the preparation of the competent cells and a third for use during the transformation procedure-yet produces some outstanding results.
The protocol calls for the growth of a 10 ml culture of yeast...