Identification and Functional Characterization of Glycosylation of Recombinant Human Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB in Pichia pastoris

Yeast Pichia pastoris is a widely used system for heterologous protein expression. However, post-translational modifications, especially glycosylation, usually impede pharmaceutical application of recombinant proteins because of unexpected alterations in protein structure and function. The aim of this study was to identify glycosylation sites on recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) secreted by P. pastoris, and investigate possible effects of O-linked glycans on PDGF-BB functional activity. PDGF-BB secreted by P. pastoris is very heterogeneous and contains multiple isoforms. We demonstrated that PDGF-BB was O-glycosylated during the secretion process and detected putative O-glycosylation sites using glycosylation staining and immunoblotting. By site-directed mutagenesis and high-resolution LC/MS analysis, we, for the first time, identified two threonine residues at the C-terminus as the major O-glycosylation sites on rhPDGF-BB produced in P. pastoris. Although O-glycosylation resulted in heterogeneous protein expression, the removal of glycosylation sites did not affect rhPDGF-BB mitogenic activity. In addition, the unglycosylated PDGF-BB^ΔGly mutant exhibited the immunogenicity comparable to that of the wild-type form. Furthermore, antiserum against PDGF-BB^ΔGly also recognized glycosylated PDGF-BB, indicating that protein immunogenicity was unaltered by glycosylation. These findings elucidate the effect of glycosylation on PDGF-BB structure and biological activity, and can potentially contribute to the design and production of homogeneously expressed unglycosylated or human-type glycosylated PDGF-BB in P. pastoris for pharmaceutical applications.     

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Expansin Gene Superfamily Reveals Grapevine-Specific Structural and Functional Characteristics

Background

Expansins are proteins that loosen plant cell walls in a pH-dependent manner, probably by increasing the relative movement among polymers thus causing irreversible expansion. The expansin superfamily (EXP) comprises four distinct families: expansin A (EXPA), expansin B (EXPB), expansin-like A (EXLA) and expansin-like B (EXLB). There is experimental evidence that EXPA and EXPB proteins are required for cell expansion and developmental processes involving cell wall modification, whereas the exact functions of EXLA and EXLB remain unclear. The complete grapevine (Vitis vinifera) genome sequence has allowed the characterization of many gene families, but an exhaustive genome-wide analysis of expansin gene expression has not been attempted thus far.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We identified 29 EXP superfamily genes in the grapevine genome, representing all four EXP families. Members of the same EXP family shared the same exon–intron structure, and phylogenetic analysis confirmed a closer relationship between EXP genes from woody species, i.e. grapevine and poplar (Populus trichocarpa), compared to those from Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa). We also identified grapevine-specific duplication events involving the EXLB family. Global gene expression analysis confirmed a strong correlation among EXP genes expressed in mature and green/vegetative samples, respectively, as reported for other gene families in the recently-published grapevine gene expression atlas. We also observed the specific co-expression of EXLB genes in woody organs, and the involvement of certain grapevine EXP genes in berry development and post-harvest withering.

Conclusion

Our comprehensive analysis of the grapevine EXP superfamily confirmed and extended current knowledge about the structural and functional characteristics of this gene family, and also identified properties that are currently unique to grapevine expansin genes. Our data provide a model for the functional characterization of grapevine gene families by combining phylogenetic analysis with global gene expression profiling.     

High-Level Expression of Endo-β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase H from Streptomyces plicatus in Pichia pastoris and Its Application for the Deglycosylation of Glycoproteins

Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H (Endo H, EC3.2.1.96) is a glycohydrolase that is widely used in the study of glycoproteins. The present study aimed to assess the effect of high-level endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H expression in Pichia pastoris. The DNA coding sequence of this enzyme was optimized based on the codon usage bias of Pichia pastoris and synthesized through overlapping PCR. This novel gene was cloned into a pHBM905A vector and introduced into Pichia pastoris GS115 for secretary expression. The yield of the target protein reached approximately 397 mg/l after a 6-d induction with 1% (v/v) methanol in shake flasks, which is much higher than that observed upon heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and silkworm. This recombinant enzyme was purified and its enzymatic features were studied. Its specific activity was 461573 U/mg. Its optimum pH and temperature were pH 5.5 and 37°C, respectively. Moreover, our study showed that the N-linked glycan side-chains of several recombinant proteins expressed in Pichia pastoris can be efficiently removed through either the co-fermentation of this recombinant strain with strains expressing substrates or by mixing the cell culture supernatants of the endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H expressing strain with strains expressing substrates after fermentation. This is the first report of high-level endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H expression in Pichia pastoris and the application of this enzyme in the deglycosylation of raw glycoproteins heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris using simplified methods.     

Engineering Pichia pastoris for biocatalysis: co-production of two active enzymes

High levels of active glycolate oxidase from spinach (GO) and active catalase T from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (catT) have been co-produced in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (Pp). In sequential rounds of transformation using two selectable markers, multiple copies of the genes encoding GO and catT were integrated into the Pp chromosome under control of the methanol inducible alcohol oxidase I promoter, resulting in a strain designated MSP8.6. MSP8.6 is a second-generation biocatalyst used for the conversion of glycolate to glyoxylate in the presence of a reaction component which inhibits endogenous Pp catalase. This work demonstrates a significant advance in the utility of recombinant Pp for commercial bioprocess development.     

A Novel Expansin Protein from the White-Rot Fungus Schizophyllum commune

A novel expansin protein (ScExlx1) was found, cloned and expressed from the Basidiomycete fungus Schizophylum commune. This protein showed the canonical features of plant expansins. ScExlx1 showed the ability to form “bubbles” in cotton fibers, reduce the size of avicel particles and enhance reducing sugar liberation from cotton fibers pretreated with the protein and then treated with cellulases. ScExlx1 was able to bind cellulose, birchwood xylan and chitin and this property was not affected by different sodium chloride concentrations. A novel property of ScExlx1 is its capacity to enhance reducing sugars (N-acetyl glucosamine) liberation from pretreated chitin and further added with chitinase, which has not been reported for any expansin or expansin-like protein. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a bona fide fungal expansin found in a basidiomycete and we could express the bioactive protein in Pichia pastoris.     

Comparison of two expression platforms in respect to protein yield and quality: Pichia pastoris versus Pichia angusta

The methylotrophic yeasts Pichia pastoris and Pichia angusta (Hansenula polymorpha) were used for the comparative heterologous production of two model mammalian proteins of pharmaceutical interest, the NK1-fragment (22 kDa) of human hepatocyte growth factor and the extracellular domain (28 kDa) of mouse tissue factor (MTF). Both recombinant proteins were engineered to contain an N-terminal Strep- (WSHPQFEK) and a C-terminal His₆-tag. In addition, both proteins contained the pre-pro-sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating factor alpha to allow secretion. Following vector construction, transformation and zeocin amplification, the best Pichia producers were identified in a screening procedure using Western blot and a Luminex xMAP™ based high-throughput method. Recombinant NK1-fragment and MTF were purified from culture supernatants of the best producers by affinity chromatography (Ni–nitrilotriacetic acid columns). Using P. pastoris as a host for the synthesis of NK1-fragment a protein yield of 5.7 mg/l was achieved. In comparable expression experiments P. angusta yielded 1.6 mg/l of NK1-fragment. NK1-fragment apparently was not glycosylated in either system. For the production of MTF, P. pastoris was also the superior host yielding 1.2 mg/l glycosylated recombinant protein whereas P. angusta was clearly less efficient (<0.2 mg/l MTF). For both expression systems no correlation between the amount of recombinant protein and the copy number of the chromosomally integrated heterologous genes was found. In P. pastoris strains less degradation of the two model recombinant proteins was observed. Altogether, this paper provides a structured protocol for rapidly identifying productive Pichia strains for the synthesis of full-length recombinant proteins.     

Characterization of Microtubule-Binding and Dimerization Activity of Giardia lamblia End-Binding 1 Protein

End-binding 1 (EB1) proteins are evolutionarily conserved components of microtubule (MT) plus-end tracking protein that regulate MT dynamics. Giardia lamblia, with two nuclei and cytoskeletal structures, requires accurate MT distribution for division. In this study, we show that a single EB1 homolog gene of G. lamblia regulates MT dynamics in mitosis. The haemagglutinin-tagged G. lamblia EB1 (GlEB1) localizes to the nuclear envelopes and median bodies, and is transiently present in mitotic spindles of dividing cells. Knockdown of GlEB1 expression using the morpholinos-based anti-EB1 oligonucleotides, resulted in a significant defect in mitosis of Giardia trophozoites. The MT-binding assays using recombinant GlEB1 (rGlEB1) proteins demonstrated that rGlEB1_102–238, but not rGlEB1_1–184, maintains an MT-binding ability comparable with that of the full length protein, rGlEB1_1–238. Size exclusion chromatography showed that rGlEB1 is present as a dimer formed by its C-terminal domain and a disulfide bond. In vitro-mutagenesis of GlEB1 indicated that an intermolecular disulfide bond is made between cysteine #13 of the two monomers. Complementation assay using the BIM1 knockout mutant yeast, the yeast homolog of mammalian EB1, indicated that expression of the C13S mutant GlEB1 protein cannot rescue the mitotic defect of the BIM1 mutant yeast. These results suggest that dimerization of GlEB1 via the 13th cysteine residues plays a role during mitosis in Giardia.     

Expression of Recombinant Proteins in the Methylotrophic Yeast Pichia pastoris

Protein expression in the microbial eukaryotic host Pichia pastoris offers the possibility to generate high amounts of recombinant protein in a fast and easy to use expression system.As a single-celled microorganism P. pastoris is easy to manipulate and grows rapidly on inexpensive media at high cell densities. Being a eukaryote, P. pastoris is able to perform many of the post-translational modifications performed by higher eukaryotic cells and the obtained recombinant proteins undergo protein folding, proteolytic processing, disulfide bond formation and glycosylation [1].As a methylotrophic yeast P. pastoris is capable of metabolizing methanol as its sole carbon source. The strong promoter for alcohol oxidase, AOX1, is tightly regulated and induced by methanol and it is used for the expression of the gene of interest. Accordingly, the expression of the foreign protein can be induced by adding methanol to the growth medium [2; 3].Another important advantage is the secretion of the recombinant protein into the growth medium, using a signal sequence to target the foreign protein to the secretory pathway of P. pastoris. With only low levels of endogenous protein secreted to the media by the yeast itself and no added proteins to the media, a heterologous protein builds the majority of the total protein in the medium and facilitates following protein purification steps [3; 4].The vector used here (pPICZαA) contains the AOX1 promoter for tightly regulated, methanol-induced expression of the gene of interest; the α-factor secretion signal for secretion of the recombinant protein, a Zeocin resistance gene for selection in both E. coli and Pichia and a C-terminal peptide containing the c-myc epitope and a polyhistidine (6xHis) tag for detection and purification of a recombinant protein. We also show western blot analysis of the recombinant protein using the specific Anti-myc-HRP antibody recognizing the c-myc epitope on the parent vector.Download video file.^{(116M, mp4)}     

In vitro enzymatic treatment to remove O-linked mannose from intact glycoproteins

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is an attractive expression system for heterologous protein production due to its ability to perform posttranslational modifications, such as glycosylation, and secrete large amounts of recombinant protein. However, the structures of N- and O-linked oligosaccharide chains in yeast differ significantly from those of mammalian cells. The most common O-linked glycan structures added by P. pastoris are typically polymers of between one and four α-linked mannose residues, with a subset of glycans being capped by a β-1,2-mannose disaccharide or phosphomannose residue. Such mannosylation of recombinant proteins is considered a key factor in immunomodulation, with mannose-specific receptors binding and promoting enhanced immune responses. As a result of engineering the N-linked glycosylation pathway of P. pastoris, the recombinant proteins expressed in this system are devoid of phospho- and β-mannose on O-linked glycans, leaving only α-mannose polymers. Here we screen a library of α-mannosidases for their ability to decrease the extent of O-mannosylation on glycoproteins secreted from this expression system. In doing so, we demonstrate the utility of the α-1,2/3/6-mannosidase from Jack bean in not only reducing extended O-linked mannose chains but also in specifically hydrolyzing the Man-α-O-Ser/Thr glycosidic bond on intact glycoproteins. As such, this presents for the first time a strategy to remove O-linked glycosylation from intact glycoproteins expressed in P. pastoris. We additionally show that this strategy can be used to significantly decrease the extent of O-mannosylation on commercial products produced in other similar expression systems.     

Incomplete protein disulphide bond conformation and decreased protein expression result from high cell growth during heterologous protein expression in Pichia pastoris

Previous report has shown that the expression of recombinant human consensus interferon-α mutant (cIFN) in Pichia pastoris in bioreactor is limited with respect to the incorrectly folded cIFN with incomplete disulfide bond, which lead to the degradation and aggregation of cIFN. In this study, the origin of incorrectly folded cIFN is firstly studied. Fed-batch fermentation in bioreactor shows that the incorrectly folded cIFN is formed intramolecularly and secreted to the extracellular environment. Further chemostat cultures indicate that the specific growth rate is the critical factor for the production of incorrect cIFN. In addition, cell shows reduced expression level of cIFN at high specific growth rate. We also demonstrate that the incorrectly folded cIFN could form aggregates intracellularly and these aggregates are non-covalent forms. Taken together, these results suggest that the efficient heterologous expression of cIFN is limited by high cell growth that is unique from expression limitations seen for soluble proteins. A balance has to be found between the increase for high efficient expression of heterologous proteins and requirement of the high cell growth during the expression of recombinant proteins in P. pastoris.     

Isolation of a single-stranded DNA-binding protein from the methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris and its identification as zeta crystallin

A single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein (SSB) that binds to specific upstream sequences of alcohol oxidase (AOX1) promoter of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has been isolated and identified as zeta crystallin (ZTA1). The cDNA encoding P.pastoris ZTA1 (PpZTA1) was cloned into an Escherichia coli expression vector, the recombinant PpZTA1 was expressed and purified from E.coli cell lysates. The DNA-binding properties of recombinant PpZTA1 are identical to those of the SSB present in P.pastoris cell lysates. PpZTA1 binds to ssDNA sequences >24 nt and its DNA-binding activity is abolished by NADPH. This is the first report on the characterization of DNA-binding properties of a yeast ZTA1.     

The proteolytic systems and heterologous proteins degradation in the methylotrophic yeastPichia pastoris

ThePichia pastoris expression system has been successfully used for production of various recombinant heterogeneous proteins. The productivity ofP. pastoris can be improved substantially by bioreactor cultivations. However, heterologous proteins degradation increases as well in high-cell density culture. Proteolytic degradation is a serious problem since the yeast has been employed to express recombinant proteins. In this review, some of the recent developments, as well as strategies for reducing proteolytic degradation of the expressed recombinant protein at cultivation, cellular and protein levels on the cytosolic proteasome, vacuolar proteases, and proteases located within the secretory pathway inP. pastoris, are reviewed.     

Optimising expression of the recombinant fusion protein biopesticide ω-hexatoxin-Hv1a/GNA in Pichia pastoris: sequence modifications and a simple method for the generation of multi-copy strains

Production of recombinant protein bio-insecticides on a commercial scale can only be cost effective if host strains with very high expression levels are available. A recombinant fusion protein containing an arthropod toxin, ω-hexatoxin-Hv1a, (from funnel web spider Hadronyche versuta) linked to snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin; GNA) is an effective oral insecticide and candidate biopesticide. However, the fusion protein was vulnerable to proteolysis during production in the yeast Pichia pastoris. To prevent proteolysis, the Hv1a/GNA fusion expression construct was modified by site-directed mutagenesis to remove a potential Kex2 cleavage site at the C-terminus of the Hv1a peptide. To obtain a high expressing clone of P. pastoris to produce recombinant Hv1a/GNA, a straightforward method was used to produce multi-copy expression plasmids, which does not require multiple integrations to give clones of P. pastoris containing high copy numbers of the introduced gene. Removal of the Kex2 site resulted in increased levels of intact fusion protein expressed in wild-type P. pastoris strains, improving levels of intact recombinant protein recoverable. Incorporation of a C-terminal (His)₆ tag enabled single step purification of the fusion protein. These modifications did not affect the insecticidal activity of the recombinant toxin towards lepidopteran larvae. Introduction of multiple expression cassettes increased the amount of secreted recombinant fusion protein in a laboratory scale fermentation by almost tenfold on a per litre of culture basis. Simple modifications in the expression construct can be advantageous for the generation of high expressing P. pastoris strains for production of a recombinant protein, without altering its functional properties.     

Mutant strains of Pichia pastoris with enhanced secretion of recombinant proteins

Although Pichia pastoris is a popular protein expression system, it exhibits limitations in its ability to secrete heterologous proteins. Therefore, a REMI (restriction enzyme mediated insertion) strategy was utilized to select mutant beta-g alactosidase s upersecretion (bgs) strains that secreted increased levels of a β-galactosidase reporter. Many of the twelve BGS genes may have functions in intracellular signaling or vesicle transport. Several of these strains also appeared to contain a more permeable cell wall. Preliminary characterization of four bgs mutants showed that they differed in the ability to enhance the export of other reporter proteins. bgs13, which has a disruption in a gene homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein kinase C (PKC1), gave enhanced secretion of most recombinant proteins that were tested, raising the possibility that it has the universal super-secreter phenotype needed in an industrial production strain of P. pastoris.     

Recombinant production of bacterial toxins and their derivatives in the methylotrophic yeast <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is a popular heterologous expression host for the recombinant production of a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins. The rapid emergence of P. pastoris as a robust heterologous expression host was facilitated by the ease with which it can be manipulated and propagated, which is comparable to that of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. P. pastoris offers further advantages such as the tightly-regulated alcohol oxidase promoter that is particularly suitable for heterologous expression of foreign genes. While recombinant production of bacterial toxins and their derivatives is highly desirable, attempts at their heterologous expression using the traditional E. coli expression system can be problematic due to the formation of inclusion bodies that often severely limit the final yields of biologically active products. However, recent literature now suggests that P. pastoris may be an attractive alternative host for the heterologous production of bacterial toxins, such as those from the genera Bacillus, Clostridium, and Corynebacterium, as well as their more complex derivatives. Here, we review the recombinant production of bacterial toxins and their derivatives in P. pastoris with special emphasis on their potential clinical applications. Considering that de novo design and construction of synthetic toxin genes have often been necessary to achieve optimal heterologous expression in P. pastoris, we also present general guidelines to this end based on our experience with the P. pastoris expression of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cyt2Aa1 toxin.     

Reconstruction and visualization of carbohydrate, N-glycosylation pathways in Pichia pastoris CBS7435 using computational and system biology approaches

Pichia pastoris is an efficient expression system for production of recombinant proteins. To understand its physiology for building novel applications it is important to understand and reconstruct its metabolic network. The metabolic reconstruction approach connects genotype with phenotype. Here, we have attempted to reconstruct carbohydrate metabolism pathways responsible for high biomass density and N-glycosylation pathways involved in the post translational modification of proteins of P. pastoris CBS7435. Both these metabolic pathways play a crucial role in heterologous protein production. We report novel, missing and unannotated enzymes involved in the target metabolic pathways. A strong possibility of cellulose and xylose metabolic processes in P. pastoris CBS7435 suggests its use in the area of biofuels. The reconstructed metabolic networks can be used for increased yields and improved product quality, for designing appropriate growth medium, for production of recombinant therapeutics and for making biofuels.     

Identification and characterization of MtMTP1, a Zn transporter of CDF family,in the Medicago truncatula

Zn is an essential micronutrient in plants, and the mechanisms of Zn homeostasis are under intensive study. In this report, we have identified MtMTP1, a Zn transporter of the CDF family in the legume model plant Medicago truncatula. The ORF of the MtMTP1 cDNA encodes a protein consisting of 407 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 45 kDa. Like other metal tolerance proteins (MTPs) in plants, heterologous expression of MtMTP1 can complement the Zn-susceptible zrc1 cot1 yeast double mutant. The expression pattern was studied by quantitative fluorescent PCR. The expression of MtMTP1 was detected in all vegetative organs with the highest level of expression observed in leaves. With Zn supplementation its expression in roots was reduced while its expression in stems was increased in the first 2 days. No obvious changes were detected in leaves. Inoculation with Rhizobium meliloti down-regulated its expression in roots.