Simulation of L/A control in fed-batch culture of baker's yeast

L/A controllers have extended their use from continuous to fed-batch fermentation where the control is applied from the start of an initial batch phase. As opposed to proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers where even a startup procedure is recommended prior to fed-batch, the L/A controller is not upset by an early connection. It is easily retuned continuously by means of ethanol measurements and can cope with a large range of output conditions. The performance of an L/A algorithm, which uses biomass concentration as the controlled variable, is assessed through simulation. The self-contained algorithm is relatively simple with no greater intrinsic complexity than modern PID stand alone controllers.     

Maximization of production of secreted recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris fed-batch fermentation

Pontryagin's Maximum Principle has been applied for optimization of secreted proteins from Pichia pastoris fed-batch fermentation. The objective of this work is to maximize the total accumulated product per unit operation time under different given conditions and system constraints. To obtain optimal solutions, an automated curve-fitting software, Table Curve 2D, was employed to construct the necessary mathematical models and solve the complicated functions. In the solution processes, the end of the glycerol batch phase was defined as the initial state of the system, the end of the methanol fed-batch phase as the final state, the cell mass produced along with product accumulated as state variables, and the specific growth rate (mu) as the control variable. Initially, a relationship between the specific production rate (rho) and mu was established. Then, according to Pontryagin's Maximum Principle, the admissible range of mu and its trajectories for the optimal operations were determined. Four representative cases with different combinations of the operation time along with the initial and final states were evaluated. A close correlation was obtained between the predicted values of the model equation with the experimental results from the Pichia pastoris fed-batch fermentations producing secreted alpha-galactosidase. The approaches proposed here greatly simplify the computational processes and validate the optimization strategy as a generalized approach to maximize the yield from fed-batch fermentations.     

表达重组咖啡豆α-半乳糖苷酶的酵母工程菌的高密度发酵

用5 L发酵罐优化了重组咖啡豆α-半乳糖苷酶酵母工程菌pPIC9K-Gal/GS115(本室构建)的高密度发酵工艺.通过对发酵条件的优化,包括甘油补充量及补充时机、甲醇诱导量及诱导时机、溶氧控制、诱导时间等,重组咖啡豆α-半乳糖苷酶在毕赤酵母中得到了高效表达.利用所确定的最适条件进行发酵,菌体密度最终达到368 g/L以上,每批发酵液离心后可获得3.5 L的发酵上清,上清中的蛋白含量达到3 g/L以上,目的蛋白占上清总蛋白的50%以上,含量约为1.5 g/L,上清中α-半乳糖苷酶的活性维持在80 U/ml左右.确立工艺后又进行了3次发酵试验,证明了工艺的可行性和稳定性.为重组咖啡豆α-半乳糖苷酶在B→O血型改造和酶解大豆低聚糖方面的应用奠定了基础.     

Mixed-feed exponential feeding for fed-batch culture of recombinant methylotrophic yeast

A simple, accurate model capable of predicting cell growth and methanol utilization during the mixed substrate fed-batch fermentation of Mut^S recombinant Pichia pastoris was developed and was used to design an exponential feeding strategy for mixed substrate fed-batch fermentation at a constant specific growth rate. Mixed substrate feeding has been shown to boost productivity in recombinant fed-batch culture of P. pastoris, while fixed growth rate exponential feeding during fed-batch culture is a useful tool in process optimization and control.     

流式细胞术检测毕赤酵母发酵过程中胞内活性氧水平

以2′,7′-二氢二氯荧光黄双乙酸钠(DCFH-DA)和碘化丙锭(PI)为标记探针,通过DCFH-DA/PI双染色与PI单染色的对照,检测毕赤酵母胞内活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)的水平及其影响。研究发现发酵过程细胞活性下降与胞内ROS积累相关。在甘油生长期,细胞几乎没有ROS积累,细胞活性接近100%。在甲醇诱导初期,部分细胞积累少量的ROS,细胞活性仍然很高,死亡细胞所占比例只有1.5%。在甲醇诱导后期,94.0%的细胞积累了大量的ROS,高含量的ROS造成细胞损伤,引起部分细胞丧失了活性,在总共29.1%的死亡细胞中,高ROS积累的死亡细胞占了25.4%。     

人源性抗HBsAg Fab抗体的发酵生产研究

为了适应工业生产的需要,利用fed—batch方法,重组人源性抗HBsAg Fab抗体酵母工程菌在30L发酵罐中进行了高密度发酵,发酵最适温度30℃,pH值范围5．0～5．3,溶氧范围20％～30％。发酵液OD600值达到300时开始诱导,甲醇最佳诱导浓度为10mL／L。重组人源性抗HBsAg Fab抗体经离子交换层析纯化,纯化产品经SDS-PAGE、Western blot进行分析和ELISA方法进行活性测定。结果显示,重组Fab抗体在Fed-batch发酵系统中可高效表达,经过192h的发酵生产,重组人源性抗HBsAg Fab抗体的表达量可达412mg／L。发酵上清经过离子交换层析纯化,获得纯度为95％的重组Fab抗体,该Fab抗体经ELISA分析具有较高的HBsAg抗原亲和力和特异性。结果证实可以通过高密度发酵毕赤酵母工程菌来高效生产重组人源性抗HBsAg Fab抗体,为后续的工业化生产应用奠定了基础。     

不同甲醇流加策略对重组毕赤醇母高密度发酵生产水蛭素的影响

考察了不同甲醇流加策略对毕赤酵母高密度发酵生产水蛭素的影响。溶氧控制法不能有效地防止甲醇的过量流加。气相色谱离线检测法虽然防止了甲醇流加过量 ,但甲醇浓度的波动较大。利用甲醇传感器在线检测控制甲醇的流加可维持较恒定的甲醇浓度。在流加甲醇的同时 ,以限制性速率流加甘油可以增加表达期间的能量供应 ,提高产物的表达量。经优化后 ,采用甲醇甘油混合流加时细胞干重达到 16 2g L ,水蛭素活性达到 2 4×10 4ATU mL ,即 1 7g L。     

Effects of methanol concentration on expression levels of recombinant protein in fed-batch cultures of Pichia methanolica

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia methanolica can be used to express recombinant genes at high levels under the control of the methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase (AUG1) promoter. Methanol concentrations during the induction phase directly affect cellular growth and protein yield. Various methanol concentrations controlled by an on-line monitoring and control system were investigated in mixed glucose/methanol fed-batch cultures of P. methanolica expressing the human transferrin N-lobe protein. The PMAD18 P. methanolica strain utilized is a knock-out for the chromosomal AUG1 gene locus, resulting in a slow methanol utilization phenotype. Maximum growth of 100 g of dry cell weight per liter of culture was observed in cultures grown at 1.0% (v/v) methanol concentration. Maximum recombinant gene expression was observed for cultures controlled at 0.7% (v/v) methanol concentration, resulting in maximum volumetric production of 450 mg of transferrin per liter after 72 h of elapsed fermentation time.     

Cell bank characterization and fermentation optimization for production of recombinant heavy chain C-terminal fragment of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E (rBoNTE(H(c)): antigen E) by Pichia pastoris

A process was developed for production of a candidate vaccine antigen, recombinant C-terminal heavy chain fragment of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype E, rBoNTE(H(c)) in Pichia pastoris. P. pastoris strain GS115 was transformed with the rBoNTE(H(c)) gene inserted into pHILD4 Escherichia coli-P. pastoris shuttle plasmid. The clone was characterized for genetic stability, copy number, and BoNTE(H(c)) sequence. Expression of rBoNTE(H(c)) from the Mut(+) HIS4 clone was confirmed in the shake-flask, prior to developing a fed-batch fermentation process at 5 and 19 L scale. The fermentation process consists of a glycerol growth phase in batch and fed-batch mode using a defined medium followed by a glycerol/methanol transition phase for adaptation to growth on methanol and a methanol induction phase resulting in the production of rBoNTE(H(c)). Specific growth rate, ratio of growth to induction phase, and time of induction were critical for optimal rBoNTE(H(c)) production and minimal proteolytic degradation. A computer-controlled exponential growth model was used for process automation and off-gas analysis was used for process monitoring. The optimized process had an induction time of 9 h on methanol and produced up to 3 mg of rBoNTE(H(c)) per gram wet cell mass as determined by HPLC and Western blot analysis.     

Analysis of single-chain antibody production in Pichia pastoris using on-line methanol control in fed-batch and mixed-feed fermentations.

In the last few years the Pichia pastoris expression system has been gaining more and more interest for the expression of recombinant proteins. Many groups have employed fermentation technology in their investigations because the system is fairly easy to scale up and suitable for the production in the milligram to gram range. A large number of heterologous proteins from different sources has been expressed, but the fermentation process technology has been investigated to a lesser extent. A large number of fermentations are carried out in standard bioreactors that may be insufficiently equipped to meet the demands of high-cell-density fermentations of methylotrophic yeasts. In particular, the lack of on-line methanol analysis leads to fermentation protocols that may impair the optimal expression of the desired products. We have used a commercially available methanol sensor to investigate in detail the effects of supplementary glycerol feeding while maintaining a constant methanol concentration during the induction of a Mut(+) strain of Pichia pastoris. Specific glycerol feed rates in the range of 38-4.2 mg. g(-1). h(-1) (mg glycerol per gram fresh weight per hour) were investigated. Expression of the recombinant scFv antibody fragment was only observed at specific feed rates below 6 mg. g(-1). h(-1). At low specific feed rates, growth was even lower than with methanol as the sole carbon source and the harvest expression level of the scFv was only half of that found in the control fermentation. These results show that glycerol inhibits expression driven by the AOX1 promoter even at extremely limited availability and demonstrate the benefits of on-line methanol control in Pichia fermentation research.     

Application of recurrent neural network for online prediction of cell density of recombinant Pichia pastoris producing HBsAg

Abstract

Artificial neural networking (ANN) seems to be a promising soft sensor for implementing current approaches of quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technologies (PAT) in the biopharmaceutical industry. In this study, we aimed to implement best-fitted ANN architecture for online prediction of the biomass amount of recombinant Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) – expressing intracellular hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) – during the fed-batch fermentation process using methanol as a sole carbon source. For this purpose, at the induction phase of methanol fed-batch fermentation, carbon evolution rate (CER), dissolved oxygen (DO), and methanol feed rate were selected as input vectors and total wet cell weight (WCW) was considered as output vector for the ANN. The obtained results indicated that after training recurrent ANN with data sets of four fed-batch runs, this toolbox could predict the WCW of the next fed-batch fermentation process at each specified time point with high accuracy. The R-squared and root-mean-square error between actual and predicted values were found to be 0.9985 and 13.73, respectively. This verified toolbox could have major importance in the biopharmaceutical industry since recombinant P. pastoris is widely used for the large-scale production of HBsAg.     

Evaluation of Mut+ and MutS Pichia pastoris phenotypes for high level extracellular scFv expression under feedback control of the methanol concentration

Extracellular secretion of over 4 g x L(-1) of the A33 scFv antibody fragment was achieved in Pichia pastoris at the 10 L bioreactor scale using minimal medium and feedback control of the methanol concentration. Since methanol acts as both inducer and carbon source, its close regulation is a crucial factor in achieving optimal fermentation conditions. The antibody fragment production levels of both Mut+ and MutS phenotypes were compared in a bioreactor under closed-loop PID control of the methanol level. As expected, the MutS phenotype has a growth rate lower than that of the Mut+ (0.37 vs 1.05 d(-1)) when growing under methanol. However, protein productivity and cell yield on substrate are almost double that of the Mut+ (18.2 vs 9.3 mg A33 sc per gram of methanol). Induction at wet cell weight of 350 g x L(-1) for the MutS also has a positive effect on the final product concentration. Both Mut+ and MutS phenotypes reach a maximum biomass density around 450 g x L(-1) wet cell weight, independent of methanol concentration, reactor scale, or induction density. This reactor configuration allows for reproducible fermentation schemes with different Pichia pastoris phenotypes with AOX promoters, without prior knowledge of the culture growth parameters.     

A model-based feeding strategy for fed-batch fermentation of recombinant Pichia pastoris

A two stage, exponential feeding strategy with mixed glycerol/methanol substrate was used in a fed-batch recombinant Pichia pastorisfermentation. The feeding strategy was developed using a simple model based on mass balances, Monod-type growth kinetics, and constant specific heterologous protein production rate. The model accurately predicted cell growth, and demonstrated the usefulness of a rational, model-based approach for improving the productivity of recombinant P. pastoris fermentation.     

Optimization of human serum albumin production in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris by repeated fed-batch fermentation

An optimization method for repeated fed-batch fermentation was established with the aim of improving the recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) production in Pichia pastoris. A simulation model for fed-batch fermentation was formulated and the optimal methanol-feeding policy calculated by dynamic programming method using five different methanol-feeding periods. The necessary state variables were collected from the calculated results and used for further optimization of repeated fed-batch fermentation. The optimal operation policy was investigated using the pre-collected state variables by estimating the overall profit per total methanol-feeding time. The calculated results indicated that the initial cell mass from the 2nd fed-batch fermentation on should be set at 35 or 40 g and methanol-feeding time at 264 h. In repeated fed-batch fermentation using the optimal operation policy, actual culture volume was in good agreement with the values simulated by model equations, but some discrepancy was observed in rHSA production. Minimum experiments were therefore carried out to re-evaluate rHSA production levels, which were then applied in re-calculations to determine the optimal operation policy. The optimal policy for repeated fed-batch fermentation established in the present study (i.e., 4-times-repeated fed-batch fermentation) achieved a 47% increase in annual rHSA production. Optimization of the culture period also brought about a 28% increase in annual rHSA production even in simple (not repeated) fed-batch fermentation.     

High yield <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizopus chinenisis</Emphasis> prolipase production in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>: Impact of methanol concentration

Rhizopus lipases have been successfully expressed in Pichia pastors and different fermentation strategies have been investigated. However, there is no sufficient study on the effects of methanol concentration on the production of Rhizopus lipases in P. pastors. In this study, the lipase from Rhizopus chinensis CCTCC M20102 was expressed under different fed-batch fermentation conditions at methanol concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 g/L. The lipase activity, stability, and productivities were analyzed. The optimum methanol concentration was 1 g/L, with the highest lipase activity of 2,130 U/mL, without degradation. Additional information was obtained from the analysis of methanol consumption and production rates. The results also suggested that the cell concentration at the end of the glycerol fed-batch phase was very important for cell viability and protease activity.     

A novel feeding strategy for enhanced protein production by fed-batch fermentation in recombinant Pichia pastoris

A novel feeding strategy for enhanced protein production of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in fed-batch fermentation, recombinant Pichia pastoris, has been developed. A minimal salt medium was used to grow cells in the initial batch fermentation, followed by a glycerol+salts fed-batch phase. At the end of the fed-batch phase a dry cell weight of 130 g l⁻¹ was achieved. In the absence of basal salts, the same amount of glycerol feed resulted in only 90 g l⁻¹ cell dry weight. When a limited amount of casamino acids were also included every 24 h during methanol induction, there was a two-fold increase in expression levels of HBsAg. After 192 h of induction, the expression levels of HBsAg (soluble and insoluble) reached >1 g l⁻¹ using the Mut⁻ strain. Thus, the use of basal salts in the glycerol feed, along with the addition of limited amounts of casamino acids with the methanol feed, resulted in an increased expression of total HBsAg.     

Modeling of mini-proinsulin production in Pichia pastoris using the AOX promoter

An unstructured model based on mass balance equations for a recombinant methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris Mut^S (Methanol Utilization Slow) strain expressing the mini-proinsulin (MPI), was successfully established in quasi-steady state fed-batch fermentations with varying total quantity of biomass in a 7 l fermenter. The model describes the relationships between the total biomass and induction time, both in the batch and fed-batch phases. In addition, good correlations were obtained when the total quantity of MPI was correlated with the total biomass, demonstrating that the product of interest is associated with growth in the methanol phase. The parameters of the fermentation model obtained are similar to those reported by other researchers.     

Optimization of the pilot-scale production of an ice-binding protein by fed-batch culture of Pichia pastoris

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) can bind to the ice crystal and inhibit its growth. Because this property of IBPs can increase the freeze–thaw survival of cells, IBPs have attracted the attention from industries for their potential use in biotechnological applications. However, their use was largely hampered by the lack of the large-scale recombinant production system. In this study, the codon-optimized IBP from Leucosporidium sp. (LeIBP) was constructed and subjected to high-level expression in methylotrophic Pichia pastoris system. In a laboratory-scale fermentation (7 L), the optimal induction temperature and pH were determined to be 25 °C and 6.0, respectively. Further, employing glycerol fed-batch phase prior to methanol induction phase enhanced the production of recombinant LelBP (rLeIBP) by ～100 mg/l. The total amount of secreted proteins at these conditions (25 °C, pH?6.0, and glycerol fed-batch phase) was ～443 mg/l, 60 % of which was rLeIBP, yielding ～272 mg/l. In the pilot-scale fermentation (700 L) under the same conditions, the yield of rLeIBP was 300 mg/l. To our best knowledge, this result reports the highest production yield of the recombinant IBP. More importantly, the rLeIBP secreted into culture media was stable and active for 6 days of fermentation. The thermal hysteresis (TH) activity of rLeIBP was about 0.42 °C, which is almost the same to those reported previously. The availability of large quantities of rLeIBP may accelerate further application studies.     

重组巴氏毕赤酵母高密度发酵表达rHSA

对基因工程菌Pichiapastoris的摇瓶发酵条件进行了试验 ,并根据摇瓶发酵的优化结果进行了补料分批高密度发酵。在摇瓶发酵时 ,甲醇诱导基因工程菌P .pastoris表达重组人血清白蛋白的发酵周期为 96h ;甲醇的最佳诱导浓度为 1 0g L ;发酵pH范围为 5 72～ 6 5 9;在摇瓶培养时 ,随着接种量的增加 ,虽然目的蛋白表达量缓慢增加 ,但单位细胞光密度的蛋白产率却明显下降 ,符合y =1 2 941x- 0 50 59方程 (线性相关系数r=0 9789) ,其限制性因子很可能为溶氧。在分批发酵 ,接种量为 1 0 %且种子细胞光密度 (OD60 0 )为 2 0左右时 ,细胞生长的延迟期为 2 1 1h左右 ,细胞生长光密度与培养时间的关系模型为 :y =0 7841e0 .2 3 19t(线性相关系数r=0 .993 6 ) ;在补料发酵时细胞干重浓度可达到 1 1 5g L— 1 6 0g L ,在 1 2 0h重组人血清白蛋白表达量最大达到 3 6g L。     

Improvement of cell viability and hirudin production by ascorbic acid in Pichia pastoris fermentation

In recombinant Pichia pastoris fermentation for hirudin production, copious cells were not viable and most of the secreted hirudin molecules were C-terminally truncated at the end of fermentation. In this work, the influences of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on cell viability and hirudin production were subsequently studied. In contrast to the untreated control condition, the addition of ascorbic acid at the methanol fed-batch phase could obviously relieve the damage of intracellular ROS to cell membranes. As a result, the cell viability could be increased to 91% from 74% in control at the end of fermentation and the extracellular proteolysis of hirudin reduced. Intact and total hirudin production, by supplying ascorbic acid, could reach 2.90 and 5.03 g/l, respectively, in contrast to 1.75 and 4.70 g/l at the control condition. Ascorbic acid, 4 mmol/l or more, in the fermentation broth increased markedly the production of the intact hirudin, despite a little effect on total hirudin production.