Purification and characterization of human caseinomacropeptide produced by a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Caseinomacropeptide (CMP) is a biologically active polypeptide derived from the C-terminal of milk kappa-casein. CMP is heterogeneous since it is modified differently by glycosylation and phosphorylation after translation. Recently, recombinant human CMP (hCMP) has been produced as a secretory product in yeast. The present study aimed at the purification and characterization of recombinant hCMP. By sequential molecular cut-off ultrafiltration and anion-exchange chromatography, the recombinant hCMP in the culture broth could be purified to an HPLC purity over 94%. The authenticity of the purified hCMP was confirmed by sequence analysis of N-terminal amino acids. The recombinant hCMP was estimated to be 7.0kDa by SDS-PAGE, and showed a lower glycosylation than the natural bovine CMP.     

Plasmid stability in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Because of many advantages, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is increasingly being employed for expression of recombinant proteins. Usually, hybrid plasmids (shuttle vectors) are employed as carriers to introduce the foreign DNA into the yeast host. Unfortunately, the transformed host often suffers from some kind of instability, tending to lose or alter the foreign plasmid. Construction of stable plasmids, and maintenance of stable expression during extended culture, are some of the major challenges facing commercial production of recombinant proteins. This review examines the factors that affect plasmid stability at the gene, cell, and engineering levels. Strategies for overcoming plasmid loss, and the models for predicting plasmid instability, are discussed. The focus is on S. cerevisiae, but where relevant, examples from the better studied Escherichia coli system are discussed. Compared to free suspension culture, immobilization of cells is particularly effective in improving plasmid retention, hence, immobilized systems are examined in some detail. Immobilized cell systems combine high cell concentrations with enhanced productivity of the recombinant product, thereby offering a potentially attractive production method, particularly when nonselective media are used. Understanding of the stabilizing mechanisms is a prerequisite to any substantial commercial exploitation and improvement of immobilized cell systems.     

Production process for recombinant human angiostatin in Pichia pastoris

A pilot-scale production method of recombinant human angiostatin, a 38-kD fragment of plasminogen which has been reported to have antiangiogenic activity, has been successfully established by expressing the protein in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. The secreted protein inhibited cultured endothelial cell proliferation in vitro and Lewis lung carcinoma growth in mice. The fermentation process was carried out using an on-line methanol controller, administering methanol to the growing culture and keeping its concentration under 2 g L⁻¹. The fermentation lasted 90 h, of which 70 h were growth on methanol. During growth on methanol the culture volume increased 64%, from 7 L to 11.5 L, producing 200 mg angiostatin and 5 kg of biomass. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2000) 24, 31–35. Received 12 May 1999/ Accepted in revised form 06 September 1999     

Production and secretion of biologically active recombinant canine growth hormone by Pichia pastoris

Production of recombinant canine (Canis familiaris) growth hormone (rCFGH) by two expression systems, methanol utilization slow (Mut^s) and methanol utilization plus (Mut⁺) based on Pichia pastoris. Led by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae -mating type signal sequence (SS), the hormone was secreted into the culture medium in its mature and active form. The level of total proteins secreted into the medium achieved at 25 ml working volume using Erlenmeyer flasks was approximately 40 and 15 μg/ml for Mut^s and Mut⁺ constructs, respectively. As judged by densitometry of proteins resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), the hormone produced by the fermented Mut^s strain upon induction with methanol reached 24 μg/ml, representing around 60% of the total secreted proteins and being eight times more abundant than in its Mut⁺ counterpart. Finally, the recombinant hormone showed activity when tested in the Nb2 cell proliferation assay.     

High yield and secretion of recombinant human apolipoprotein AI in Pichia pastoris

Apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) is an important apolipoprotein in plasma and is known to have various physiological functions suitable for pharmaceutical applications. Human blood has been the only source of this protein for research and large-scale applications. To obtain large amounts of ApoAI a Pichia pastoris expression system was first used to obtain a high level of expression of secreted, recombinant protein. The human gene encoding ApoAI was inserted into the secretion vector pPIC9K and used to transform P. pastoris GS115. AP16, a high expression transformant with high G418 resistance, was obtained. After induction with methanol, the expression level of rhApoAI (recombinant human ApoAI) was 160 mg/L in a 14L fermentor. RhApoAI was purified by cold acetone precipitation followed by Q-Sepharose Fast Flow ion exchange column chromatography with 60% recovery. The N-terminal amino acid sequence and molecular weight (mass spec.) of rhApoAI are identical to native human ApoAI. Purified rhApoAI has specific binding activity with liver cells SMC7721 and binding can be inhibited by native human ApoAI.     

Production of recombinant human bile salt-stimulated lipase in Pichia pastoris.

Recombinant human bile salt-stimulated lipase (rhBSSL) was efficiently expressed under the control of the AOX1 gene promoter in Pichia pastoris. Human BSSL has 16 successively repeated sequences in the carboxy terminal region. The sequence consists of 11 amino acid residues. The coding sequence for the middle 11 of the 16 repeats was removed from hBSSL cDNA to facilitate efficient secretory expression. The clone used for fermentation was a transformant of GS115 (his4) integrated with four copies of the expression cassette containing the modified hBSSL cDNA. Unique fermentation conditions were required for efficient expressions of rhBSSL in the high cell-density fermentation. A sufficient glycerol feed at 30 degrees C and pH 4 under an adequate concentration of dissolved oxygen in the growth phase make the cells active over a long induction period of approximately 15 days. On methanol induction, the concentration of dissolved oxygen should be maintained very low in the presence of sorbitol and skimmed milk at 20 degrees C and pH 5.7. Under these conditions, 0.8-1 g of rhBSSL was secreted in 1 liter of the medium. By immunoelectron microscopy, rhBSSL-tagged gold particles were located in secretion microbodies after the beginning of methanol induction. The secreted rhBSSL was efficiently captured and purified by expanded bed adsorption chromatography.     

Functional expression of horseradish peroxidase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris

The ability to engineer proteins by directed evolution requires functional expression of the target polypeptide in a recombinant host suitable for construction and screening libraries of enzyme variants. Bacteria and yeast are preferred, but eukaryotic proteins often fail to express in active form in these cells. We have attempted to resolve this problem by identifying mutations in the target gene that facilitate its functional expression in a given recombinant host. Here we examined expression of HRP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Through three rounds of directed evolution by random point mutagenesis and screening, we obtained a 40-fold increase in total HRP activity in the S.cerevisiae culture supernatant compared with wild-type, as measured on ABTS ?2, 2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (260 units/l/OD(600)). Genes from wild-type and two high-activity clones were expressed in Pichia pastoris, where the total ABTS activity reached 600 units/l/OD(600) in shake flasks. The mutants show up to 5.4-fold higher specific activity towards ABTS and 2.3-fold higher specific activity towards guaiacol.     

Production of native recombinant human midkine in the yeast,Pichia pastoris

Recombinant human midkine (rh-midkine) was efficiently produced in Pichia pastoris using the pre-pro secretion signal of yeast alpha-mating factor under the control of the AOX1 promoter. The pep4 host SMD1168 was used. The expression was induced at pH 3 and 20 degrees C in high cell-density fermentation and approximately 360 mg rh-midkine was secreted into 1L of medium. The authentic midkine could be obtained after one-step purification. Mass spectrometry of purified rh-midkine demonstrated a single large signal for the molecular ion [M + H](+) at 13241.2 m/z. This mass is identical to the authentic, unmodified human midkine. The precursor of rh-midkine was correctly processed in P. pastoris cells, yielding mature rh-midkine. Mass spectrometry detected no yeast-specific O-mannosylations in the purified midkine preparations. The circular dichroic spectrum indicated only a negative Cotton effect at 215 nm. Only beta-structures were indicated for the rh-midkine molecule in solution. Purified rh-midkine was active in a cell-proliferation assay.     

Production of recombinant human erythropoietin from Pichia pastoris and its structural analysis

AIMS: To design and investigate a recombinant expression system producing a therapeutically important glycoprotein, human erythropoietin (rHuEPO), by Pichia pastoris. METHODS AND RESULTS: EPO cDNA was cloned into pPICZalphaA for expression under control of AOX1 promoter and fused, on the amino-terminal end, with a polyhistidine tag for rapid purification. A target site for factor Xa protease was also introduced, such that cleavage in vitro produced a mature form of rHuEPO having the native N- and C-termini. RHuEPO was characterized as to the extent and nature of N-linked glycosylation using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and western blotting. The rHuEPO produced was approximately 30 kDa. All three N-linked glycosylation sites were occupied dominantly by Man(17)(GlcNAc)(2). N-glycanase-treated rHuEPO purified but not digested with factor-Xa-protease, showed a spectral peak centered about m/z 20400 Da. CONCLUSIONS: The native polypeptide form of human EPO (c. 18 kDa) was obtained for the first time in P. pastoris expression system, after affinity purification, deglycosylation and factor-Xa-protease digestion. The amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate used prior to deglycosylation was found to be crucial in determining the dominant form of glycan in glycoproteins. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The novel approaches to protein expression and purification system and structural analysis presented, would be important especially for therapeutic proteins expressed in P. pastoris.     

Production of recombinant protein in Pichia pastoris by fermentation

This protocol is applicable to recombinant protein expression by small-scale fermentation using the Pichia pastoris expression system. P. pastoris has the capacity to produce large quantities of protein with eukaryotic processing. Expression is controlled by a methanol-inducible promoter, which allows a biomass-generation phase before protein production is initiated. The target protein is secreted directly into a protein-free mineral salt medium, and is relatively easy to purify. The protocol is readily interfaced with expanded bed adsorption for immediate capture and purification of recombinant protein. The setting up of the bioreactor plus the fermentation itself takes 1 wk. Making the master and user seed lots takes approximately 2 wk for each individual clone.     

Comparison of pyruvate decarboxylases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataella pastoris (Pichia pastoris)

Pyruvate decarboxylases (PDCs) are a class of enzymes which carry out the non-oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetaldehyde. These enzymes are also capable of carboligation reactions and can generate chiral intermediates of substantial pharmaceutical interest. Typically, the decarboxylation and carboligation processes are carried out using whole cell systems. However, fermentative organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae are known to contain several PDC isozymes; the precise suitability and role of each of these isozymes in these processes is not well understood. S. cerevisiae has three catalytic isozymes of pyruvate decarboxylase (ScPDCs). Of these, ScPDC1 has been investigated in detail by various groups with the other two catalytic isozymes, ScPDC5 and ScPDC6 being less well characterized. Pyruvate decarboxylase activity can also be detected in the cell lysates of Komagataella pastoris, a Crabtree-negative yeast, and consequently it is of interest to investigate whether this enzyme has different kinetic properties. This is also the first report of the expression and functional characterization of pyruvate decarboxylase from K. pastoris (PpPDC). This investigation helps in understanding the roles of the three isozymes at different phases of S. cerevisiae fermentation as well as their relevance for ethanol and carboligation reactions. The kinetic and physical properties of the four isozymes were determined using similar conditions of expression and characterization. ScPDC5 has comparable decarboxylation efficiency to that of ScPDC1; however, the former has the highest rate of reaction, and thus can be used for industrial production of ethanol. ScPDC6 has the least decarboxylation efficiency of all three isozymes of S. cerevisiae. PpPDC in comparison to all isozymes of S. cerevisiae is less efficient at decarboxylation. All the enzymes exhibit allostery, indicating that they are substrate activated.     

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.     

Production of recombinant human serum albumin from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Human serum albumin has been constitutively expressed in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae brewing yeast. After cell growth and disruption the product was associated with the insoluble fraction and represented approximately 1% of total cell protein. After the cell debris was extensively washed, the albumin was solubilized with 8 M urea and 28 mM 2-mercaptoethanol in 50 mM sodium carbonate buffer, pH 10. The denatured albumin was refolded by dialysis and further purified by anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Losses of renatured material could be reduced, or higher protein concentrations used during refolding, if the denatured product was purified by cation-exchange chromatography in urea prior to refolding. Apart from an additional N-terminal N-acetyl methionine, the refolded product proved identical to human serum albumin derived from plasma when compared by a variety of physical, chemical, and biological analytical methods.     

Production of Recombinant Proteins with Pichia pastoris in Integrated Processing

Devices and methods for Integrated Bioprocessing have been developed for production of recombinant proteins with the yeast Pichia pastoris. In doing so cross flow filtration techniques for cell separation and product concentration are connected directly to high instrumented cultivation processes. These are equipped with on‐line measuring techniques for substrates and products, e.g., glycerol, methanol and pyruvate as well as recombinant proteins, e.g., the chemokines 1–8del MCP‐1 and vMIP‐II. Complex automation structures allow for process development at virtual plants which can be used as the basis for establishing and implementing fully automated real processes. Experiments for determination of reaction kinetics, optimization of productivity in high‐cell density cultures and Integrated Bioprocessing are outlined, along with detailed illustration of the realization of the methods at industrial pilot plant scale.     

Production, purification, and characterization of human scFv antibodies expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, and Escherichia coli

Single chain (scFv) antibodies are used as affinity reagents for diagnostics, therapeutics, and proteomic analyses. The antibody discovery platform we use to identify novel antigen binders involves discovery, characterization, and production. The discovery and characterization components have previously been characterized but in order to fully utilize the capabilities of affinity reagents from our yeast surface display library, efforts were focused on developing a production component to obtain purified, soluble, and active scFvs. Instead of optimizing conditions to achieve maximum yield, efforts were focused on using a system that could quickly and easily produce and process hundreds of scFv antibodies. Heterologous protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, and Escherichia coli were evaluated for their ability to rapidly, efficaciously, and consistently produce scFv antibodies for use in downstream proteomic applications. Following purification, the binding activity of several scFv antibodies were quantified using a novel Biacore assay. All three systems produced soluble scFv antibodies which ranged in activity from 0 to 99%. scFv antibody yields from Saccharomyces, Pichia, and E. coli were 1.5-4.2, 0.4-7.3, and 0.63-16.4 mgL(-1) culture, respectively. For our purposes, expression in E. coli proved to be the quickest and most consistent way to obtain and characterize purified scFv for downstream applications. The E. coli expression system was subsequently used to study three scFv variants engineered to determine structure-function relationships.     

Expression of recombinant GFP-actin fusion protein in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

The integrative vector pPIC3 for the yeast Pichia pastoris and a cDNA fragment encoding a fusion protein consisting of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and actin 5C of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster were used to construct a pPIC3-GFP-actin 5C expression plasmid. The P. pastoris host strain GS115 was transformed with the pPIC3-GFP-actin 5C carrying HIS4 as a selective marker. The transformants were selected on a histidine-deficient medium, and were shown to contain the gene of GFP-actin 5C fusion protein. Expression was induced by cultivation of the transformant cells in a methanol-containing medium. Production of the fusion protein in the yeast was detected by the bright green fluorescence of the GFP tag. The pattern of yeast cytoskeleton labeling by the fusion indicated proper folding and functioning of GFP-actin 5C in a heterologous system in vivo. After cell destruction, purification of GFP-actin 5C was performed by DNase I-Sepharose. Efficient binding of the chimera to the DNase I indicated nativity of the actin 5C fusion in vitro. SDS electrophoresis and further Western blot confirmed the purified protein to exhibit the expected molecular mass of about 70 kDa. The recombinant GFP-actin 5C was used to produce polyclonal antibodies, which had not been reported so far but are extremely needed for immuno-labeling and isolation of wild-type and mutant forms of actin 5C.     

Assembly of bacteriophage Qbeta virus-like particles in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris

Recombinant bacteriophage Qbeta coat protein (CP), which has been proposed as a promising carrier of foreign epitopes via their incorporation either by gene engineering techniques or by chemical coupling, efficiently self-assembles into virus-like particles (VLPs) when expressed in Escherichia coli. Here, we demonstrate expression and self-assembly of Qbeta CP in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris. Production reached 3-4 mg/1g of wet cells for S. cerevisiae and 4-6 mg for P. pastoris, which was about 15-20% and 20-30% of the E. coli expression level, respectively. Qbeta VLPs were easily purified by size-exclusion chromatography in both cases and contained nucleic acid, shown by native agarose gel electrophoresis. The obtained particles were highly immunogenic in mice and the resulting sera recognized both E. coli- and yeast-derived Qbeta VLPs equally well.     

Synthesis of the measles virus nucleoprotein in yeast Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The development of a simple, efficient and cost-effective system for generation of measles virus nucleoprotein might help to upgrade reagents for measles serology. The gene encoding measles nucleoprotein was successfully expressed in two different yeast genera, Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively. Both yeast genera synthesized a high level of nucleoprotein, up to 29 and 18% of total cell protein, in P. pastoris and S. cerevisiae, respectively. This protein is one of most abundantly expressed in yeast. After purification nucleocapsid-like particles (NLPs) derived from both yeast genera appeared to be similar to those detected in mammalian cells infected with measles virus. A spontaneous assembly of nucleoprotein into nucleocapsid-like particles in the absence of the viral leader RNA or viral proteins has been shown. Compartmentalisation of recombinant protein into large compact inclusions in the cytoplasm of yeast S. cerevisiae by green fluorescence protein (GFP) fusion has been demonstrated. Sera from measles patients reacted with the recombinant protein expressed in both yeast genera and a simple diagnostic assay to detect measles IgM could be designed on this basis.     

Production of the bullous pemphigoid antigen 230 (BP230) by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris

BP230 is a cytoskeletal linker protein of 2649 amino acids originally identified as the target autoantigen in bullous pemphigoid, a potentially devastating autoimmune skin blistering disorder. To better define its function, we sought to generate recombinant forms of BP230 in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris after cloning its entire cDNA. By immunoblot analysis, full-length BP230 was not found in extracts of P. pastoris, whereas minor amounts of degraded BP230 were detected in extracts of S. cerevisiae. In contrast, both S. cerevisiae and P. pastoris were able to produce the 770-amino acid COOH-terminal domain of BP230. Furthermore, the production level of the recombinant BP230 tail in S. cerevisiae was significantly higher than that observed in P. pastoris and that of endogenous BP230 in cultured human keratinocytes. Finally, 12 of 17 (71%) BP sera recognized the recombinant BP230 protein in yeast extracts. Our results indicate that S. cerevisiae occasionally constitutes a better tool for recombinant protein production than P. pastoris. Although both its large size and poor solubility limit production of BP230, the developed yeast system provides cellular fractions enriched in BP230 recombinant proteins that constitute useful tools for the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid.