Atg35, a micropexophagy-specific protein that regulates micropexophagic apparatus formation in Pichia pastoris

Autophagy-related (Atg) pathways deliver cytosol and organelles to the vacuole in double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes, which are formed at the phagophore assembly site (PAS), where most of the core Atg proteins assemble. Atg28 is a component of the core autophagic machinery partially required for all Atg pathways in Pichia pastoris. This coiled-coil protein interacts with Atg17 and is essential for micropexophagy. However, the role of Atg28 in micropexophagy was unknown. We used the yeast two-hybrid system to search for Atg28 interaction partners from P. pastoris and identified a new Atg protein, named Atg35. The atg35Δ mutant was not affected in macropexophagy, cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting or general autophagy. However, both Atg28 and Atg35 were required for micropexophagy and for the formation of the micropexophagic apparatus (MIPA). This requirement correlated with a stronger expression of both proteins on methanol and glucose. Atg28 mediated the interaction of Atg35 with Atg17. Trafficking of overexpressed Atg17 from the peripheral ER to the nuclear envelope was required to organize a peri-nuclear structure (PNS), the site of Atg35 colocalization during micropexophagy. In summary, Atg35 is a new Atg protein that relocates to the PNS and specifically regulates MIPA formation during micropexophagy.Key words: Atg protein, peroxisome, micropexophagy, MIPA, nucleus     

Atg28, a novel coiled-coil protein involved in autophagic degradation of peroxisomes in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

In methylotrophic yeasts, peroxisomes are required for methanol utilization, but are dispensable for growth on most other carbon sources. Upon adaptation of cells grown on methanol to glucose or ethanol, redundant peroxisomes are selectively and quickly shipped to, and degraded in, vacuoles via a process termed pexophagy. We identified a novel gene named ATG28 (autophagy-related genes) involved in pexophagy in the yeast Pichia pastoris. This yeast exhibits two morphologically distinct pexophagy pathways, micro- and macropexophagy, induced by glucose or ethanol, respectively. Deficiency in ATG28 impairs both pexophagic mechanisms but not general (bulk turnover) autophagy, a degradation pathway in yeast triggered by nitrogen starvation. It is known that the micro-, macropexophagy, and general autophagy machineries are distinct but share some molecular components. The identification of ATG28 suggests that pexophagy may involve species-specific components, since this gene appears to have only weak homologues in other yeasts.     

Recombinant protein expression in Pichia pastoris

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is now one of the standard tools used in molecular biology for the generation of recombinant protein. P. pastoris has demonstrated its most powerful success as a large-scale (fermentation) recombinant protein production tool. What began more than 20 years ago as a program to convert abundant methanol to a protein source for animal feed has been developed into what is today two important biological tools: a model eukaryote used in cell biology research and a recombinant protein production system. To date well over 200 heterologous proteins have been expressed in P. pastoris. Significant advances in the development of new strains and vectors, improved techniques, and the commercial availability of these tools coupled with a better understanding of the biology of Pichia species have led to this microbe's value and power in commercial and research labs alike.     

Atg28, a Novel Coiled-Coil Protein Involved in Autophagic Degradation of Peroxisomes in the Methylotrophic Yeast Pichia pastoris

In methylotrophic yeasts, peroxisomes are required for methanol utilization, but are dispensable for growth on most other carbon sources. Upon adaptation of cells grown on methanol to glucose or ethanol, redundant peroxisomes are selectively and quickly shipped to, and degraded in, vacuoles via a process termed pexophagy.

We identified a novel gene named ATG28 (autophagy-related genes) involved in pexophagy in the yeast Pichia pastoris. This yeast exhibits two morphologically distinct pexophagy pathways, micro- and macropexophagy, induced by glucose or ethanol, respectively. Deficiency in ATG28 impairs both pexophagic mechanisms but not general (bulk turnover) autophagy, a degradation pathway in yeast triggered by nitrogen starvation. It is known that the micro-, macropexophagy, and general autophagy machineries are distinct but share some molecular components. The identification of ATG28 suggests that pexophagy may involve species-specific components, since this gene appears to have only weak homologues in other yeasts.     

影响外源基因在巴氏毕赤酵母中表达的因素

要在一种宿主表达系统中成功表达外源蛋白并获得较高产量,必须要较为全面地了解影响其表达的许多因素。影响外源基因在巴氏毕赤酵母中表达的因素主要包括：外源基因的特性、表达框的染色体整合位点和方式、宿主菌的甲醇利用表型、基因剂量、分泌信号、产物稳定性和翻译后修饰等。本文就这些因素进行分析,并提出一定的对策和建议。     

人血清白蛋白-血管钠肽融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达

人工合成VNP基因,通过酶连构建HSA和VNP基因的融合基因,插入表达载体pPIC9K,电转至毕赤酵母GS115,构建成工程茵,甲醇诱导表达。重组表达质粒经双酶切验证构建正确;表达产物经SDS-PAGE分析分子量为69 000 Da,与理论值相符;Western blot鉴定产物兼有HSA和VNP免疫原性,说明其为杂合分子;兔胸主动脉环离体灌流实验证明融合蛋白具有舒张血管活性。本研究说明毕赤酵母适于HSA-VNP融合蛋白的表达,为进一步开发稳定的VNP药物提供了生物制备方法。     

利用巴斯德毕赤酵母表达外源蛋白的研究进展

随着基因工程技术的迅速发展,已有数百种外源蛋白利用巴斯德毕赤酵母表达系统获得了成功表达。本综述了该表达系统的优点、系统的构成,外源基因转化该表达系统的方式及表达特点,阐述了该系统在生产外源蛋白上的广泛应用．并重点分析了影响外源蛋白在该表达系统中表达的因素及优化策略等。     

影响毕赤酵母高效表达外源蛋白的因素

分析了毕赤酵母高效表达外源蛋白的机理以及影响毕赤酵母表达外源蛋白的作用因素。     

Characterization of a gene encoding a Pichia pastoris protein disulfide isomerase

Protein disulphide isomerases belong to the thioredoxin superfamily of protein-thiol oxidoreductases that have two double-cysteine redox-active sites and take part in protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We report here the cloning of a Pichia pastoris genomic DNA fragment (2919 bp) that encodes the full length of a protein disulphide isomerase (PpPDI). The deduced amino acid sequence of PDI consists of 517 residues and carries the two characteristic PDI-type redox-active domains -CGHC-, separated by 338 residues, and two potential N-glycosylation sites. The N-terminal end forms a putative signal sequence, and an acidic C-terminal region represents a possible calcium-binding domain. Together with the -HDEL ER retrieval sequence at the C-terminus, these features indicate that the gene encodes a redox-active ER-resident protein disulphide isomerase. The nucleotide sequence, which also contains two other open reading frames, has been submitted to the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database, Accession No. AJ302014.     

PpATG9 encodes a novel membrane protein that traffics to vacuolar membranes, which sequester peroxisomes during pexophagy in Pichia pastoris

When Pichia pastoris adapts from methanol to glucose growth, peroxisomes are rapidly sequestered and degraded within the vacuole by micropexophagy. During micropexophagy, sequestering membranes arise from the vacuole to engulf the peroxisomes. Fusion of the sequestering membranes and incorporation of the peroxisomes into the vacuole is mediated by the micropexophagy-specific membrane apparatus (MIPA). In this study, we show the P. pastoris ortholog of Atg9, a novel membrane protein is essential for the formation of the sequestering membranes and assembly of MIPA. During methanol growth, GFP-PpAtg9 localizes to multiple structures situated near the plasma membrane referred as the peripheral compartment (Atg9-PC). On glucose-induced micropexophagy, PpAtg9 traffics from the Atg9-PC to unique perivacuolar structures (PVS) that contain PpAtg11, but lack PpAtg2 and PpAtg8. Afterward, PpAtg9 distributes to the vacuole surface and sequestering membranes. Movement of the PpAtg9 from the Atg9-PC to the PVS requires PpAtg11 and PpVps15. PpAtg2 and PpAtg7 are essential for PpAtg9 trafficking from the PVS to the vacuole and sequestering membranes, whereas trafficking of PpAtg9 proceeds independent of PpAtg1, PpAtg18, and PpVac8. In summary, our data suggest that PpAtg9 transits from the Atg9-PC to the PVS and then to the sequestering membranes that engulf the peroxisomes for degradation.     

Production,in Pichia pastoris,of a recombinant monomeric mapacalcine,a protein with anti-ischemic properties

Mapacalcine is a small homodimeric protein of 19 kDa with 9 disulfide bridges extracted from the Cliona vastifica sponge (Red Sea). It selectively blocks a calcium current insensitive to most calcium blockers. Specific receptors for mapacalcine have been described in a variety of tissues such as brain, smooth muscle, liver, and kidney. Previous works achieved on hepatocytes and nervous cells demonstrated that this protein selectively blocks a calcium influx triggered by an ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) shock and efficiently protects cells from death after I/R. The aim of this work was to produce the recombinant mapacalcine in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Mass spectrometry, light scattering analysis and biological characterization demonstrated that the recombinant mapacalcine obtained was a monomeric form with 4 disulfide bridges which retains the biological activity of the natural protein.     

Heterologous protein expression in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

During the past 15 years, the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has developed into a highly successful system for the production of a variety of heterologous proteins. The increasing popularity of this particular expression system can be attributed to several factors, most importantly: (1) the simplicity of techniques needed for the molecular genetic manipulation of P. pastoris and their similarity to those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most well-characterized experimental systems in modern biology; (2) the ability of P. pastoris to produce foreign proteins at high levels, either intracellularly or extracellularly; (3) the capability of performing many eukaryotic post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation, disulfide bond formation and proteolytic processing; and (4) the availability of the expression system as a commercially available kit. In this paper, we review the P. pastoris expression system: how it was developed, how it works, and what proteins have been produced. We also describe new promoters and auxotrophic marker/host strain combinations which extend the usefulness of the system.     

High expression of green fluorescent protein in Pichia pastoris leads to formation of fluorescent particles

Wild type gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) was stably integrated into the Pichia pastoris genome and yielded an expression level of over 40% of total cellular protein. The high cytoplasmic concentration of fluorescent (properly folded and processed) GFP caused the formation of fluorescent spherical structures, which could be observed by fluorescence or confocal microscopy after controlled permeabilization of the yeast cells with 0.2% N-lauroyl sarcosine (NLS). Fluorescent GFP particles were also isolated after removal of the cell wall and found to be quite resistant to 0.2% N-lauroyl sarcosine. SDS-PAGE analysis of the isolated fluorescent particles revealed the presence of an 80 kDa protein (alcohol oxidase) and GFP (30%). We conclude that GFP is able to enter spontaneously into the peroxisomes and is inserted into densely packed layers of alcohol oxidase. Consequently, the formation of similar fluorescent particles can also be expected in other organisms when using high-level expression systems. As GFP is widely used in fusion with other proteins as a reporter for protein localization and for many other applications in biotechnology, care must be taken to avoid false interpretations of targeting or trafficking mechanisms inside the cells. In addition, when whole cells or cytoplasmic fractions are used for the quantitative determination of GFP levels, incorrect and misleading values of GFP could be obtained due to the formation of fluorescent particles containing material inside which is not available for fluorescence measurements.     

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.     

小鼠IL-35基因毕赤酵母表达载体的构建及表达

目的构建真核酵母表达载体pPIC9K与小鼠IL-35基因的重组质粒pPIC9K-mIL-35-His,在毕赤酵母GS115菌株中诱导表达,并对其进行鉴定。方法以pET-30a-mIL-35为模板,用PCR扩增出IL-35去信号肽基因全序列,并在3'端引入His标签,构建重组质粒pPIC9K-mIL-35-His,经SalⅠ线性化重组质粒后,用电穿孔方法将该基因转染毕赤酵母细胞内。经G418梯度筛选高拷贝转化子,筛选Mut+表型后经PCR进一步鉴定IL-35基因与酵母染色体是否整合。小量诱导表达筛选出高表达菌株,大量甲醇诱导表达,以SDS-PAGE及免疫印迹(Western blot)鉴定蛋白表达。结果小鼠IL-35基因真核酵母表达载体pPIC9K-mIL-35-His构建成功,并且在GS115中通过甲醇诱导表达,经SDS-PAGE及Western blot分析,可见相对分子质量约为65 000的目的蛋白。结论实验所构建的重组质粒pPIC9K-mIL-35-His可在毕赤酵母GS115中正确的表达小鼠IL-35基因。     

Expression and characterization of a synthetic protein C activator in Pichia pastoris

Protein C activators are proteases that activate protein C in the mammalian coagulation system. A reptilian protein C activator is a critical component in current functional assays for protein C, its cofactor protein S, as well as for the overall status of the protein C pathway. We have constructed a synthetic gene for a protein C activator, based on a published snake-venom polypeptide sequence. This recombinant protein C activator was expressed in Pichia pastoris as a secreted glycoprotein (ILPCA) using the AOX1 promoter and the alpha-factor signal sequence. A fermentation protocol was developed that produced about 150 mg/L biologically active ILPCA secreted in the fermented broth. A two-step purification scheme was devised to purify ILPCA to approximately 80% purity. The ILPCA produced has an apparent molecular weight of approximately 68 kDa and a deglycosilated molecular weight of 28 kDa. Steady-state kinetic analysis reveals that ILPCA activates purified human protein C with a K(m) of 77 nM and a k(cat) of 0.39 s(-1). In conclusion, ILPCA is a recombinant protein that can be produced reliably and in large quantities under controlled manufacturing conditions, activates protein C, and can be used in coagulation assays as an alternative to native venom preparations.     

乙型肝炎病毒包膜M蛋白在巴斯德毕赤酵母中的表达

转化了乙肝病毒 preS2 S基因的重组巴斯德毕赤酵母菌株经甘油培养基充分增殖 ,然后转移到甲醇培养基中进行诱导表达。破碎细胞并提取胞内蛋白 ,经ELISA和WesternBlot检测 ,证明有 4株GS1 1 5 /HIS MUT 表达了HBVM蛋白。     

乙肝表面抗原结合蛋白SBP在毕赤酵母中的表达纯化及功能鉴定

乙肝表面抗原结合蛋白(HBsAg binding protein,SBP)是本实验室发现的一种人源蛋白,该蛋白与人乙型肝炎病毒HBV表面抗原HBsAg存在特异性的结合能力。此前的研究证实SBP具有增强乙肝疫苗免疫效果的作用。为进一步研究该蛋白的生理功能和作用机制,利用毕赤酵母表达系统进行了SBP的表达菌株构建,筛选得到了SBP的高效表达菌株。发酵产物经过分离纯化,最终得到了大量高纯度的真核来源的目的蛋白。通过SDS-PAGE、高效液相色谱、Western blotting和质谱鉴定,证实所得到的蛋白具有较高的纯度和完整性。通过ELISA方法初步证实了其与乙肝表面抗原具有较好的结合能力。该研究为进一步进行SBP的体内外功能研究及免疫增效研究打下了基础。