表达透明颤菌血红蛋白基因对酿酒酵母生长及细胞内氧化状态的影响*

透明颤菌血红蛋白基因vgb在多种研究和工业发酵菌中异源表达很好的解决了高密度发酵中的溶氧率问题。酿酒酵母是经典的真核模型,且在发酵工业中具有重要的应用价值,但vgb在酿酒酵母中异源表达对细胞生长的影响并不清楚。以ADH1为启动子构建了含透明颤菌(Vistreoscilla)血红蛋白基因vgb的异源表达质粒YEplac195-ADH1pr-vgb,并转化至酿酒酵母BY4741。通过生长敏感性实验,发现在发酵碳源和非发酵碳源中,vgb的异源表达均抑制了菌株生长。接着,通过2',7'-二氯荧光黄双乙酸盐和PI染色和脂质过氧化产物检测分析,发现过表达vgb的酿酒酵母细胞中活性氧(ROS)的积累、细胞膜通透性改变以及脂质过氧化。结果表明,酿酒酵母中过表达vgb改变细胞的氧化状态促进活性氧的累积,氧化应激导致菌株的生长抑制。     

Asparaginase production by a recombinant Pichia pastoris strain harbouring Saccharomyces cerevisiae ASP3 gene

The therapeutic enzyme asparaginase, which is used for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, is industrially produced by the bacteria Escherichia coli or Erwinia crysanthemi. In spite of its effectiveness as a therapeutic agent, the drug causes severe immunological reactions. As asparaginase is also produced by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this microorganism could be considered for the production of the enzyme, providing an alternative antitumoral agent. In this study the ASP3 gene, that codes for the periplasmic, nitrogen regulated, asparaginase II from S. cerevisiae, was cloned and expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, under the control of the AOX1 gene promoter. Similarly to S. cerevisiae the heterologous enzyme was addressed to the P. pastoris cell periplasmic space. Enzyme yield per dry cell mass reached 800 U g⁻¹, which was seven fold higher than that obtained using a nitrogen de-repressed ure2 dal80 S. cerevisiae strain. High cell density cultures performed with P. pastoris harbouring the ASP3 gene using a 2 l instrumented bioreactor, where biomass concentration reached 107 g l⁻¹, resulted in a dramatic increase in volumetric yield (85,600 U l⁻¹) and global volumetric productivity (1083 U l⁻¹ h⁻¹).     

UTH1基因破坏提高重组酿酒酵母分泌β-葡萄糖苷酶

异源蛋白质分泌效率低限制了重组酿酒酵母的多种药用蛋白和工业酶生产。挖掘促进蛋白质生物合成和分泌的关键基因,是提高异源蛋白质生产效率的重要手段。酿酒酵母细胞壁完整性影响异源蛋白质分泌,本研究利用基于CRISPR/Cas9的基因组编辑技术,破坏了重组酿酒酵母Y294-BGL1中参与细胞壁合成的未知功能基因UTH1,发现所获得的突变体胞外β-葡萄糖苷酶酶活比出发菌株提高112.9%,而细胞壁完整性下降。对促进产酶的分子机理进行探索,发现突变体产酶条件下与细胞壁完整性相关的关键基因和与蛋白质分泌途径相关的基因转录出现明显差异,提示UTH1基因破坏不仅影响细胞壁完整性关键基因的表达,也影响蛋白质分泌途径。本文的研究结果有助于深入理解UTH1的基因功能,并为构建异源蛋白质高分泌酵母菌株提供了借鉴。     

Regulation of primary carbon metabolism in Kluyveromyces lactis

In the recent past, through advances in development of genetic tools, the budding yeast Kluyveromyces lactis has become a model system for studies on molecular physiology of so-called “Nonconventional Yeasts.” The regulation of primary carbon metabolism in K. lactis differs markedly from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and reflects the dominance of respiration over fermentation typical for the majority of yeasts. The absence of aerobic ethanol formation in this class of yeasts represents a major advantage for the “cell factory” concept and large-scale production of heterologous proteins in K. lactis cells is being applied successfully. First insight into the molecular basis for the different regulatory strategies is beginning to emerge from comparative studies on S. cerevisiae and K. lactis. The absence of glucose repression of respiration, a high capacity of respiratory enzymes and a tight regulation of glucose uptake in K. lactis are key factors determining physiological differences to S. cerevisiae. A striking discrepancy exists between the conservation of regulatory factors and the lack of evidence for their functional significance in K. lactis. On the other hand, structurally conserved factors were identified in K. lactis in a new regulatory context. It seems that different physiological responses result from modified interactions of similar molecular modules.     

Functional Expression of House Fly (Musca domestica) Cytochrome P450 CYP6D1 in Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Cytochrome P450 CYP6D1 from the house fly is important in the detoxication of xenobiotics and in resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. In house fly microsomes CYP6D1 requires cytochrome b₅ for the metabolism of some substrates, such as benzo[a]pyrene, but does not require cytochrome b₅ for the metabolism of other substrates such as methoxyresorufin. To examine the molecular mechanisms involved in its metabolism of pyrethroids and other substrates, a system for the heterologous expression of CYP6D1 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was developed. Heterologous CYP6D1 can be inducibly expressed by culture in media with galactose as the sole carbon source, and is successfully inserted into the yeast microsomes. CYP6D1 is enzymatically active, as measured by methoxyresorufin-O-demethylation, indicating that CYP6D1 is able to interact with yeast P450 reductase. However, CYP6D1 expression did not result in measurable benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylation, suggesting that CYP6D1 cannot interact with yeast cytochrome b₅, or that there is insufficient cytochrome b₅ in the yeast microsomes to support this CYP6D1-mediated activity. Some suggestions are made for improving the yeast microsomal oxidoreductase environment in order to optimize CYP6D1 function.     

A PEGylated analog of the gut hormone oxyntomodulin with long-lasting antihyperglycemic,insulinotropic and anorexigenic activity

Peptide agonists of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor (GLP1R) are rapidly gaining favor as antidiabetic agents, since in addition to increasing glucose-dependent insulin secretion, they also cause weight loss. Oxyntomodulin (OXM), a natural peptide with sequence homology to both glucagon and GLP-1, has glucose-lowering activity in rodents and anorectic activity in rodents and humans, but its clinical utility is limited by a short circulatory half-life due to rapid renal clearance and degradation by dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV). Here, we describe the development of a novel DPP-IV-resistant, long-acting GLP1R agonist, based on derivatization of a suitably chosen OXM analog with high molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) (‘PEGylation’). PEG-OXM exerts an anti-hyperglycemic effect in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice in a glucose-dependent manner, with a maximally efficacious dose of 0.1 mg/kg, and reduces food intake and body weight with a minimally efficacious dose of 1 mg/kg. If this pharmacology is recapitulated in patients with type 2 diabetes, these results indicate PEG-OXM as a potential novel once-weekly GLP-1 mimetic with both glucose-lowering activity and weight loss efficacy.     

Characterization of two-substrate fermentation processes for xylitol production using recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing xylose reductase gene

Fermentation characteristics of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing a xylose reductase gene from Pichia stipitis were investigated in an attempt to convert xylose to xylitol, a natural five-carbon sugar alcohol used as a sweetener. Xylitol was produced with a maximum yield of 0.95 g g⁻¹ xylitol xylose consumed in the presence of glucose used as a co-substrate for co-factor regeneration. Addition of glucose caused inhibition of xylose transport and accumulation of ethanol. Such problems were solved by adopting glucose-limited fed-batch fermentations where a high ratio of xylose to glucose was maintained during the bioconversion phase. The optimized two-substrate fed-batch fermentation carried out with S. cerevisiae EH13.15:pY2XR at 30°C resulted in 105.2 g l⁻¹ xylitol concentration with 1.69 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ productivity.     

Pilot scale vinification process using immobilized Candida stellata cells and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Sequential grape juice fermentation first with immobilized Candida stellata and then with an inoculum of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was carried out at pilot scale and under non-sterile conditions in order to evaluate the dynamics of yeast microflora and their influence on the analytical profile of wine. Non-Saccharomyces yeast were adequately controlled while S. cerevisiae wild strains were consistently present after 3 days of fermentation and could compete with the inoculated S. cerevisiae strain. However, the metabolism of immobilized C. stellata cells strongly influenced the analytical profile of wines with a consistent increase in glycerol (70%) and succinic acid content in comparison with values for a S. cerevisiae fermentation control.     

Ester production in E. coli and C. acetobutylicum

Genetic engineering has improved the product yield of a variety of compounds by overexpressing, inactivating, or introducing new genes in microbial systems. The production of flavor-enhancing ester compounds is an emerging area of heterologous gene expression for desired product yield in Escherichia coli. Isoamyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and butyl butyrate are reported here to be produced by expressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes ATF1 or ATF2 and the strawberry gene SAAT in E. coli when the appropriate substrates are provided. Increasing the concentration of alcohol added to the reaction generally resulted in increased ester production. ATF1 expression was found to produce more isoamyl acetate and butyl acetate than ATF2 expression or SAAT expression in the strains and culture conditions examined. Additionally, SAAT expression resulted in greater isoamyl acetate and butyl acetate production than ATF2 expression. Butyl butyrate is produced by cell-free extracts of E. coli harboring SAAT but not ATF1 or ATF2.     

酿酒酵母发酵与自然发酵过程中霍山石斛酵素的代谢物及抗氧化变化*

为实现霍山石斛的全质利用和高值化利用,以接种酿酒酵母发酵与自然发酵两种工艺制备霍山石斛酵素,研究不同工艺发酵过程中代谢物(有机酸、总酚、总糖等)和抗氧化活性(OH·清除率、ABTS·清除率、还原力)的变化趋势,并结合多元统计分析,建立综合评价指标。结果表明,酿酒酵母发酵组的酵母菌数量高于自然发酵组;自然发酵组检测到的4种有机酸的含量均高于酿酒酵母发酵组,其中乳酸和乙酸含量均呈上升趋势;酿酒酵母发酵组的草酸含量明显下降,而自然发酵组的草酸含量没有明显变化。酿酒酵母发酵组与自然发酵组的总酚含量分别下降了24.02%、24.98%;总糖含量分别下降了64.21%、22.89%;pH值分别下降了0.12和0.24,总酸含量分别增加了62.98%、70.98%;糖酸比分别降低了80.13%、59.47%,酿酒酵母生产的酵素口感以酸甜为主,自然发酵的酵素口感以甜为主。在抗氧化方面,酿酒酵母发酵组显著高于自然发酵组,OH·清除能力分别提高了42.57%和40.67%;ABTS·清除能力分别提高了55.36%和30.06%;还原力无显著变化。相关性分析和主成分分析结果表明乳酸、乙酸等有机酸具有一定的抗氧化性。酵母菌发酵第 14 d的综合评价指标达到阶段高点,酵母菌生长数量在14 d后趋于稳定,进入生长稳定期,可作为最佳发酵节点。综上结果表明酿酒酵母发酵相较于自然发酵霍山石斛提高了抗氧化活性,丰富了酵素口感,缩短了发酵时间,酵素品质较好。     

Biodiversity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from a survey of pito production sites in various parts of Ghana

Biodiversity among Saccharomyces cerevisiae predominating the spontaneous fermentation of Dagarti pito in Ghana was assessed. Two hundred and forty-nine isolates obtained from samples of dried yeast taken from commercial pito production sites in eight geographical regions of Ghana were characterized phenotypically by colony and cell morphology as well as carbohydrate assimilation profiling. Yeast populations ranged between 10⁶ and 10⁸ cfug⁻¹. Ninety-nine percent of the isolates (247) investigated showed macro-and micro morphological characteristics typical of S. cerevisiae. Of these, 72% (179) had assimilation profiles similar to S. cerevisiae while 28% (68) had assimilation profiles atypical of S. cerevisiae or any other member of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto complex. Amplification of the region spanning the two intergenic transcribed spacers (ITS) and the 5.8S ribosomal gene (ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2), followed by restriction analysis, as well as determination of chromosome length polymorphism by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of 25 representative isolates strongly indicated that all belonged to S. cerevisiae, notwithstanding the phenotypic differences. Sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase II gene (COX 2) and the actin-encoding gene (ACT1) of four isolates, confirmed their close relatedness to S. cerevisiae, particularly to the type strain CBS1171 (98.7%), as well as other members of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto complex. Twenty isolates selected from eight geographical regions of Ghana and investigated for their technological properties, showed different patterns of growth and flocculation but otherwise similar technological characteristica. Most of the isolates produced pito having sensory attributes, which compared favourably with commercially produced pito.     

酿酒酵母发酵降解灵芝胞外多糖组分分析及活性研究

本研究采用酿酒酵母发酵的方法对灵芝胞外多糖进行了降解,并对其产物在表观粘度、分子量、多糖得率和含量及单糖组成和生物活性等方面进行了系统比较和分析。结果表明,灵芝发酵胞外液经酿酒酵母培养后,所得胞外液的表观粘度明显降低,其中多糖的分子量也随酵母培养时间的延长出现下降趋势,大分子多糖的分子量从3.55×10 ⁶g/mol下降到1.93×10 ⁶g/mol,低分子多糖的分子量从6.18×10 ⁴g/mol下降到3.11×10 ⁴g/mol。多糖得率和含量测定结果显示,经酵母培养后,灵芝胞外液中20%乙醇沉淀所得20E组分得率明显降低,从2.43g/L下降到0.98g/L,但该组分多糖含量均较高,达到70%以上;而70%乙醇沉淀所得70E组分得率明显增加,达到1.87g/L。单糖组成分析表明,20E组分主要由葡萄糖组成,70E组分主要由甘露糖组成。各组分均表现出较好的与Dectin-1受体结合激活NF-κB增强免疫的活性,且经酿酒酵母发酵24h所得70E组分的活性最好。     

酱香型白酒酿造酒醅中酵母菌多样性研究

为解析酱香型白酒酿造酒醅中酵母菌的菌群结构,获取酒醅中的主要酵母菌,采用高通量测序法分析酱香型白酒酒醅中酵母菌多样性及主要功能菌群,同时采用可培养分离方法获取酒醅中酵母菌活性菌株。从酱香型白酒下沙至五轮次酒醅中共检出59个属、129个种的酵母菌,分离得到酵母菌活性菌株41种,检测到的酵母菌种类与获得的酵母菌活菌在各香型白酒中最多。不同时期酒醅中的酵母菌种类和数量差异明显,其中下沙、造沙轮次以Pichia kudriavzevii为绝对优势酵母菌;一至五轮次随着轮次的递增,酒醅中优势酵母菌的种类增多,其中主要的优势酵母菌有Pichia kudriavzevii、Pichia manshurica、Zygosaccharomyces bailii、Saccharomyces cerevisiae、Candida apicola。酱香型白酒酒醅中蕴藏着极其丰富的酵母菌资源,对酵母菌菌群结构的解析有助于科学地认识酱香型白酒酿造过程中产酒与风味代谢机理,为发酵过程的调控提供一定依据。     

Intra-islet glucagon confers β-cell glucose competence for first-phase insulin secretion and favors GLP-1R stimulation by exogenous glucagon

We report that intra-islet glucagon secreted from α-cells signals through β-cell glucagon and GLP-1 receptors (GcgR and GLP-1R), thereby conferring to rat islets their competence to exhibit first-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Thus, in islets not treated with exogenous glucagon or GLP-1, first-phase GSIS is abolished by a GcgR antagonist (LY2786890) or a GLP-1R antagonist (Ex[9–39]). Mechanistically, glucose competence in response to intra-islet glucagon is conditional on β-cell cAMP signaling because it is blocked by the cAMP antagonist prodrug Rp-8-Br-cAMPS-pAB. In its role as a paracrine hormone, intra-islet glucagon binds with high affinity to the GcgR, while also exerting a “spillover” effect to bind with low affinity to the GLP-1R. This produces a right shift of the concentration-response relationship for the potentiation of GSIS by exogenous glucagon. Thus, 0.3 nM glucagon fails to potentiate GSIS, as expected if similar concentrations of intra-islet glucagon already occupy the GcgR. However, 10 to 30 nM glucagon effectively engages the β-cell GLP-1R to potentiate GSIS, an action blocked by Ex[9–39] but not LY2786890. Finally, we report that the action of intra-islet glucagon to support insulin secretion requires a step-wise increase of glucose concentration to trigger first-phase GSIS. It is not measurable when GSIS is stimulated by a gradient of increasing glucose concentrations, as occurs during an oral glucose tolerance test in vivo. Collectively, such findings are understandable if defective intra-islet glucagon action contributes to the characteristic loss of first-phase GSIS in an intravenous glucose tolerance test, that is, diagnostic of type 2 diabetes in the clinical setting.     

Three distinct epitopes on the extracellular face of the glucagon receptor determine specificity for the glucagon amino terminus

The glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors are homologous family B seven-transmembrane (7TM) G protein-coupled receptors, and they selectively recognize the homologous peptide hormones glucagon (29 amino acids) and GLP-1 (30-31 amino acids), respectively. The amino-terminal extracellular domain of the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors (140-150 amino acids) determines specificity for the carboxyl terminus of glucagon and GLP-1, respectively. In addition, the glucagon receptor core domain (7TM helices and connecting loops) strongly determines specificity for the glucagon amino terminus. Only 4 of 15 residues are divergent in the glucagon and GLP-1 amino termini; Ser2, Gln3, Tyr10, and Lys12 in glucagon and the corresponding Ala8, Glu9, Val16, and Ser18 in GLP-1. In this study, individual substitution of these four residues of glucagon with the corresponding residues of GLP-1 decreased the affinity and potency at the glucagon receptor relative to glucagon. Substitution of distinct segments of the glucagon receptor core domain with the corresponding segments of the GLP-1 receptor rescued the affinity and potency of specific glucagon analogs. Site-directed mutagenesis identified the Asp385 --> Glu glucagon receptor mutant that specifically rescued Ala2-glucagon. The results show that three distinct epitopes of the glucagon receptor core domain determine specificity for the N terminus of glucagon. We suggest a glucagon receptor binding model in which the extracellular ends of TM2 and TM7 are close to and determine specificity for Gln3 and Ser2 of glucagon, respectively. Furthermore, the second extracellular loop and/or proximal segments of TM4 and/or TM5 are close to and determine specificity for Lys12 of glucagon.     

拉格啤酒酵母菌物种和株系的快速分子鉴定

近年来的基因组学研究结果已证实拉格啤酒酵母Saccharomyces pastorianus是一个由艾尔啤酒酵母S. cerevisiae和真贝氏酿酒酵母S. eubayanus杂交而成的杂交种,并可根据地域传承和染色体倍性分为两个株系,即I型/Saaz系和II型/Frohberg系。前者主要为异源3倍体,后者则主要为异源4倍体。为了探讨中国啤酒酿造酵母菌的物种和菌系归属,我们根据拉格啤酒酵母及其两个菌系的基因组特性,制定了一套基于IntFR片段种特异性扩增和ITS-RFLP分析的精确但简便易行的拉格啤酒酵母菌物种和株系鉴定新方法,并以酿酒酵母属内相关种的模式或权威菌株和部分酒精及面包酵母为参照,对保藏于中国普通微生物菌种保藏中心（CGMCC）的41株啤酒酿造酵母菌进行了重新鉴定和分型。这些菌株除1株原定名为贝氏酿酒酵母S. bayanus外,其余菌株的原定名均为S. cerevisiae。研究结果确认了S. bayanus菌株鉴定的正确性,但在其余的40株啤酒酵母菌株中,21株属于S. cerevisiae,1株属于葡萄汁酿酒酵母S. uvarum,18株属于S. pastorianus。菌系鉴定和流式细胞测定结果显示在确认的S. pastorianus菌株中,1株为I型/Saaz系,3倍体;17株为II型/Frohberg系,其中9株为4倍体,两株为3倍体,5株介于3倍至4倍体之间。啤酒酵母物种和株系的确认对优化发酵工艺和菌种选育及遗传改造等具有重要意义。     

Two Dipolar α-Helices within Hormone-encoding Regions of Proglucagon Are Sorting Signals to the Regulated Secretory Pathway

Proglucagon is expressed in pancreatic α cells, intestinal L cells, and some hypothalamic and brainstem neurons. Tissue-specific processing of proglucagon yields three major peptide hormones as follows: glucagon in the α cells and glucagon-like peptides (GLP)-1 and -2 in the L cells and neurons. Efficient sorting and packaging into the secretory granules of the regulated secretory pathway in each cell type are required for nutrient-regulated secretion of these proglucagon-derived peptides. Our previous work suggested that proglucagon is directed into granules by intrinsic sorting signals after initial processing to glicentin and major proglucagon fragment (McGirr, R., Guizzetti, L., and Dhanvantari, S. (2013) J. Endocrinol. 217, 229–240), leading to the hypothesis that sorting signals may be present in multiple domains. In the present study, we show that the α-helices within glucagon and GLP-1, but not GLP-2, act as sorting signals by efficiently directing a heterologous secretory protein to the regulated secretory pathway. Biophysical characterization of these peptides revealed that glucagon and GLP-1 each encode a nonamphipathic, dipolar α-helix, whereas the helix in GLP-2 is not dipolar. Surprisingly, glicentin and major proglucagon fragment were sorted with different efficiencies, thus providing evidence that proglucagon is first sorted to granules prior to processing. In contrast to many other prohormones in which sorting is directed by ordered prodomains, the sorting determinants of proglucagon lie within the ordered hormone domains of glucagon and GLP-1, illustrating that each prohormone has its own sorting “signature.”     

绍兴黄酒酒药中酵母菌的物种资源

酒药是绍兴黄酒酿造中使用的重要糖化发酵剂。2013年绍兴黄酒冬酿期间,从绍兴地区5个主要黄酒生产企业,采集古越龙山、会稽山、塔牌、沈永和、女儿红及鉴湖等6个品牌酒药样本,在数量、种类和分布规律等方面对黄酒酒药内酵母菌物种资源进行了系统研究。研究发现,会稽山酒药和沈永和酒药蕴含酵母菌数量较多而且与其他样本相比差异显著（P<0.01）,而塔牌酒药中酵母菌数量显著少于其他5个品牌（P<0.05）。遵循酵母菌分类原则,从绍兴黄酒酒药中分离鉴定出3种酵母菌,扣囊复膜孢酵母Saccharomycopsis fibuligera、酿酒酵母Saccharomyces cerevisiae和隐球酵母Cryptococcus sp.。其中,扣囊复膜孢酵母Saccharomycopsis fibuligera在6个品牌黄酒酒药内的分布占有绝对优势,该种酵母菌可能对绍兴黄酒酒药的生产性能来说至关重要。比较分析酒药中酵母菌物种资源,可以为阐明绍兴黄酒的发酵机制提供基础数据和理论基础。     

重组酿酒酵母表达幽门螺杆菌VacA蛋白及其免疫原性分析*

目的:利用酿酒酵母表面展示技术筛选幽门螺杆菌候选疫苗,并分析其免疫原性。方法:以幽门螺杆菌的空泡型细胞毒素A(vacA)基因作为研究对象,构建重组S.cerevisiae EBY100/pYD1-VacA,通过Western blot、免疫荧光标记和流式细胞仪对S.cerevisiae EBY100/pYD1-VacA进行体外表达分析。以PBS和S.cerevisiae EBY100/pYD1为对照组,S.cerevisiae EBY100/pYD1-VacA为实验组,口服免疫SPF级BALB/c小鼠。通过ELISA分析检测口服免疫后小鼠抗VacA特异性IgG及分泌型IgA效价。结果:VacA抗原蛋白被成功地展示在S.cerevisiae EBY100表面。小鼠经口服免疫S.cerevisiae EBY100/pYD1-VacA后可诱导产生较高的VacA特异性抗体。结论:表面展示型酿酒酵母可以作为幽门螺杆菌候选疫苗的递送载体,与此同时,这也为开发其他细菌或病毒疫苗提供新思路。     

Comparative expression and purification of human glutamic acid decarboxylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris

The yeast cell factory is a potentially useful source of proteins in general. They include glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), which is one of the major autoantigens for Type 1 diabetes. We have created a hybrid form of GAD consisting of amino acids 1–101 of the human GAD67 protein fused to amino acids 96–585 of the human GAD65 protein, and have modified this to include a C-terminal hexa-Histidine (H6) tag sequence. This hybrid GAD67/65-H6 was expressed in two yeast hosts: constitutively under the control of the plasmid phosphoglycerate kinase promoter (PGK1) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and inducibly under the control of the chromosomal alcohol oxidase promoter (AOX1) in Pichia pastoris. Enzymatically active hybrid GAD was prepared from yeast lysates by purification either on an affinity column based on the GAD-1 monoclonal antibody, or by metal-affinity chromatography. The purified GAD67/65-H6 was radiolabelled with iodine-125 and tested with Type 1 diabetes sera in a radioimmunoprecipitation assay, and results were compared with those using untagged GAD67/65 and those using porcine brain GAD. The results of enzymatic and immunological assays show hybrid GAD67/65 is isolated at high specific activity and moderate yield, and the addition of the H6 tag sequences or the choice of yeast strain did not appreciably affect enzyme activity, percentage recovery of GAD, protein purification, or the utility in diagnosis of diabetes in terms of specificity and sensitivity to the various sera.