Cloning and expression of Candida guilliermondii xylose reductase gene (xyl1) in Pichia pastoris

A xylose reductase gene (xyl1) of Candida guilliermondii ATCC 20118 was cloned and characterized. The open reading frame of xyl1 contained 954 nucleotides encoding a protein of 317 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 36 kDa. The derived amino acid sequence of C. guilliermondii xylose reductase was 70.4% homologous to that of Pichia stipitis. The gene was placed under the control of an alcohol oxidase promoter (AOX1) and integrated into the genome of a methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris. Methanol induced the expression of the 36-kDa xylose reductase in both intracellular and secreted expression systems. The expressed enzyme preferentially utilized NADPH as a cofactor and was functional both in vitro and in vivo. The different cofactor specificity between P. pastoris and C. guilliermondii xylose reductases might be due to the difference in the numbers of histidine residues and their locations between the two proteins. The recombinant was able to ferment xylose, and the maximum xylitol accumulation (7.8 g/l) was observed when the organism was grown under aerobic conditions. Received: 26 August 1997 / Received revision: 6 November 1997 / Accepted: 21 November 1997     

Production of synthetic spider dragline silk protein in Pichia pastoris

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris was tested as a host for the production of long, repetitive protein polymers. Synthetic genes for a designed analog of a spider dragline silk protein were readily expressed at high levels under control of the methanol-inducible AOX1 promoter. Transformants containing multiple gene copies produced elevated levels of silk protein, but of a variety of altered sizes as a result of gene rearrangements at the time of transformation. Genes up to 3000 codons in length or longer could be expressed with no evidence of the prevalent truncated synthesis observed for similar genes in Escherichia coli, though genes longer than 1600 codons were expressed less efficiently than shorter genes. Silk-producing P. pastoris strains were stable without selection for at least 100 doublings. Received: 4 March 1996 / Received revision: 26 June 1996 / Accepted: 12 August 1996     

Engineering Pichia pastoris for stereoselective nitrile hydrolysis by co-producing three heterologous proteins

A Pichia pastoris strain with stereoselective nitrile hydratase activity has been constructed by engineering the co-expression of three genes derived from Pseudomonas putida. Using a technique that could be widely applicable, the genes encoding nitrile hydratase α and β structural subunits and P14K accessory protein were first assembled as individual expression cassettes and then incorporated onto one plasmid, which was integrated into the P. pastoris chromosome. The resulting strain can be used as a catalyst for bioconversions requiring stereospecific nitrile hydrolysis. Received: 3 November 1998 / Received revision: 25 February1999 / Accepted: 14 March 1999     

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     

Cloning and expressing a recombinant human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris and its characterizations

To obtain human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) cDNA and the secretory expression of TIMP-2 gene in Pichia pastoris, we designed and synthesized a 618 base pairs artificial gene coding for the TIMP-2 with a computer-aided design method using a standard chemical synthesis technique, which was composed of frequently used codons in the highly expressed Pichia pastoris genes. Then the synthetic gene encoding TIMP-2 was checked by means of dideoxynucleotide sequencing. The verified gene of TIMP-2 was cloned to the Escherichia coli-yeast shuttle vector of pPIC9 to construct a recombinant plasmid pPIC9-T2. The plasmid was transformed into GS115 cells of the methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris by electroporation, and we got the expression cell through phenotype selection and induction with methanol. Separation, purification, and bioactivity analysis of the expressed products were performed. __________ Translated from Microbiology, 2006, 33(1): 1–6 [译自: 微生物学通报]     

Biosynthetic production of type II fish antifreeze protein: fermentation by Pichia pastoris

Sea raven type II antifreeze protein (SRAFP) is one of three different fish antifreeze proteins isolated to date. These proteins are known to bind to the surface of ice and inhibit its growth. To solve the three-dimensional structure of SRAFP, study its ice-binding mechanism, and as a basis for engineering these molecules, an efficient system for its biosynthetic production was developed. Several different expression systems have been tested including baculovirus, Escherichia coli and yeast. The latter, using the methylotrophic organism Pichia pastoris as the host, was the most productive. In shake-flask cultures the levels of SRAFP secreted from Pichia were up to 5 mg/l. The recombinant protein has an identical activity to SRAFP from sea raven serum. In order to increase yields further, four different strategies were tested in 10-l fermentation vessels, including: (1) optimization of pH and dissolved oxygen, (2) mixed feeding of methanol and glycerol with Mut^s clones, (3) supplementation of amino acid building blocks, and (4) methanol feeding with Mut⁺ clones. The mixed-feeding/Mut^s strategy proved to be the most efficient with SRAFP yields reaching 30 mg/l. Received: 19 November 1996 / Received revision: 29 January 1997 / Accepted: 7 March 1997     

Effect of formaldehyde on the level of cytochrome c in methylotrophic yeasts

The effect of formaldehyde on the cytochrome system of the methylotrophic yeasts Candida tropicalis, Candida boidinii, Candida methylica, Hansenula capsulata, Hansenula polymorpha, Pichia pastoris and nonmethylotrophic yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied. In the investigated concentration range of 0.58 – 2.5 mol · 1^?1, formaldehyde decreases the level of the reduced cytochrome c in the above-mentioned microorganisms. The kinetics of the change in the reduced cytochrome c content has two phases: a phase of slow decrease and a phase of complete disappearance of the reduced cytochrome c in the cells. The duration of the first phase shortens with increasing concentrations of formaldehyde.     

Characteristics of glycosylated streptokinase secreted from Pichia pastoris: enhanced resistance of SK to proteolysis by glycosylation

Degradation of streptokinase (SK) has been frequently observed during large-scale protein production. An enhanced susceptibility of SK to degradation has been correlated with its existence in a partially unfolded state. The influence of the carbohydrate moiety on the stability and functional characteristics of SK has been examined by obtaining the glycoform of SK following its secretion through the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. Secretion of the protein product was achieved by replacing the native secretion signal codons of SK with those from α-factor leader peptide and expressing the fusion construct under the control of the methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase (ox) promoter of P. pastoris after its integration into the host chromosome. Western blot and zymographic analysis of proteins secreted from the recombinant P. pastoris indicated that SK was glycosylated by the host cells, which resulted in the appearance of a SK species migrating slowly, corresponding to a 55-kDa protein product as compared to the 47-kDa native SK. The glycosylated SK retained a plasminogen activation capability identical to that of its unglycosylated counterpart. Glycoform SK exhibited an enhanced stability profile at 25 °C and 37 °C and improved resistance towards protease treatment compared to unglycosylated SK secreted through P. pastoris after tunicamycin treatment or that secreted from the recombinant Escherichia coli. The results presented thus illustrate that N-linked glycosylation of SK results in 30–40% enhancement of the protein stability and resistance towards degradation but does not interfere with its fibrinolytic function. Received: 1 March 1999 / Received last revision: 5 October 1999 / Accepted: 10 October 1999     

Production of yeastolates for uniform stable isotope labelling in eukaryotic cell culture

Preparation of stable isotope-labelled yeastolates opens up ways to establish more cost-effective stable isotope labelling of biomolecules in insect and mammalian cell lines and hence to employ higher eukaryotic cell lines for stable isotope labelling of complex recombinant proteins. Therefore, we evaluated several common yeast strains of the Saccharomycetoideae family as a source of high-quality, non-toxic yeastolates with the major aim to find a primary amino acid source for insect and mammalian cell culture that would allow cost-effective uniform stable isotope labelling (¹³C, ¹⁵N). Strains of the facultative methylotrophic yeasts Pichia pastoris and Hansenula polymorpha (Pichia angusta) as well as a strain of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were compared as a source of yeastolate with respect to processing, recovery and ability to sustain growth of insect and mammalian cell lines. The best growth-supporting yeastolates were prepared via autolysis from yeast obtained from fed-batch cultures that were terminated at the end of the logarithmic growth phase. Yeastolates obtained from H. polymorpha performed well as a component of insect cell cultures, while yeastolates from S. cerevisiae and H. polymorpha both yielded good results in mammalian cell cultures. Growth of yeasts in Heine’s medium without lactic acid allows relatively low concentrations of ¹³C and ¹⁵N sources, and this medium can be reused several times with supplementation of the ¹³C source only.     

Xylitol production by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the Pichia stipitis and Candida shehatae XYL1 genes

The xylose reductase gene (XYL1) was isolated from Pichia stipitis and Candida shehatae, cloned into YEp-based vectors under the control of ADH2 and PGK1 promoter/terminator cassettes and introduced into Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y294 by electroporation. Shake-flask fermentations were carried out with 5% xylose and 1% galactose, glucose or maltose as co-substrates. Xylose uptake was similar in both the recombinant strains when different co-substrates were used and slowed once the co-substrate was depleted. The recombinant strains converted xylose to xylitol with yields approaching the theoretical maxima. Xylitol production was most rapid when the co-substrate was still present. Approximately 50% of the xylose was not metabolized due to the depletion of the co-substrate. Received: 23 December 1999 / Received revision: 30 June 2000 / Accepted: 1 July 2000     

Pexophagy: The Selective Autophagy of Peroxisomes

Pichia pastoris and Hanseula polymorpha are methylotrophic yeasts capable of utilizing methanol, as a sole source of carbon and energy. Growth of these yeast species on methanol requires the synthesis of cytosolic and peroxisomal enzymes combined with the proliferation of peroxisomes. Peroxisomes are also abundantly present in the alkane-utilizing yeast Yarrowia lipolytica upon growth of cells on oleic acid. This feature has made these yeast species attractive model systems to dissect the molecular mechanisms controlling peroxisome biogenesis. We have found that upon glucose- or ethanol-induced catabolite inactivation of metabolically superfluous peroxisomes are rapidly and selectively degraded within the vacuole by a process called pexophagy, the selective removal of peroxisomes by autophagy-like processes. Utilizing several genetic screens, we have identified a number of genes that are essential for pexophagy. In this review, we will summarize our current knowledge of the molecular events of pexophagy.     

Competition between n-alkane-assimilating yeasts and bacteria during colonization of sandy soil microcosms

An n-alkane-assimilating strain of Candida tropicalis was selected in sandy soil inoculated with microorganisms from contaminated sites. Competition experiments with n-alkane utilizers from different strain collections confirmed that yeasts overgrow bacteria in sandy soil. Acidification of the soil is one of the colonization factors useful for the yeasts. It can be counteracted by addition of bentonite, a clay mineral with high ion exchange capacity, but not, however, by kaolin. Strains of different yeast species showed different levels of competitiveness. Strains of Arxula adeninivorans, Candida maltosa, and Yarrowia lipolytica overgrew strains of C. tropicalis, C. shehatae or Pichia stipitis. Two strains of C. maltosa and Y. lipolytica coexisted during several serial transfers under microcosm conditions. Received: 20 October 1999 / Received revision: 26 January 2000 / Accepted: 27 January 2000     

Genetic transformation and biotechnological application of the yeast Arxula adeninivorans

The relatively unknown, non-pathogenic, dimorphic, haploid, ascomycetous yeast Arxula adeninivorans exhibits some unusual properties which are of biotechnological interest. The yeast is able to assimilate and ferment many compounds as sole source of carbon and/or nitrogen, it utilises n-alkanes and degrades starch efficiently. A. adeninivorans features such as thermo- and haloresistance as well as the yeast's uncommon growth and secretion behaviour should be especially emphasised. In media containing up to 20% NaCl, A. adeninivorans is able to grow at cultivation temperatures up to 48 °C. Additionally, the dimorphism of the yeast is unusual. Arxula grows at up temperatures of up to 42 °C as budding cells, which turn into mycelia at higher temperatures. This environmentally conditioned dimorphism is reversible and budding is reestablished when the cultivation temperature is decreased below 42 °C. Alteration of morphology correlates with changes in secretion behaviour. Mycelium cultures accumulate two-fold higher protein concentrations and contain two- to five-fold higher glucoamylase and invertase activities in the medium than budding cells. Based on these unusual properties, Arxula adeninivorans is used for heterologous gene expression and as a gene donor to construct more suitable yeasts for biotechnology. For example the Arxula glucoamylase gene was successfully expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces lactis. Both transformed yeasts are able to assimilate and ferment starch as carbon source. A transformation system is used for heterologous gene expression which is based on integration of linearised DNA fragments in two to ten copies, e.g. into the 25S rDNA of A. adeninivorans by homologous recombination. The obtained transformants are mitotically stable. The expression of the lacZ gene from E. coli as well as the XylE gene from Pseudomonas putida indicates the suitability of A. adeninivorans as host for heterologous gene expression. Received: 25 February 2000 / Received revision: 8 June 2000 / Accepted: 9 June 2000     

Monitoring the human β1, β2, β3 adrenergic receptors expression and purification in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis> using the fluorescence properties of the enhanced green fluorescent protein

The three beta adrenergic receptor subtypes, β1-, β2- and β3-, were expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. These receptors were N-terminally fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and the fluorescent properties of EGFP were used: (1) to select the recombinant strains, (2) to monitor the expression of the fluorescent receptors, and (3) to monitor the purification of the receptors by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. We demonstrate here that Pichia pastoris can be an alternative host to express and purify milligram amounts of human beta adrenergic receptors.     

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.     

Expression of bovine follicle-stimulating hormone subunits in a Hansenula polymorpha expression system increases the secretion and bioactivity in vivo

Bovine follicle-stimulating hormone (bFSH), a pituitary gonadotropin, is a heterodimer hormone that consists of a common α-subunit non-covalently associated with the hormone-specific β-subunit. Unfortunately, expression levels of recombinant bFSH or its subunits are invariably low. We report here the secretory expression of biologically active bFSHα and bFSHβ subunit in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha. A slightly higher level of expression of recombinant bFSH subunits was achieved by using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived calnexin (ScCne1) as a chaperone in engineered H. polymorpha strains. The preliminary data also suggested that bFSH subunits expressed in H. polymorpha appeared to be less-glycosylated. This isoform had been shown to be 80% increase in in vivo bioactivity compared with the hyperglycosylated Pichia pastoris-derived recombinant bFSHα/β. More sophisticated applications of bFSH would profit from the assembled less-glycosylated heterodimer.     

A dominant selection system designed for copy-number-controlled gene integration in Hansenula polymorpha DL-1

To facilitate the selection of multiple gene integrants in Hansenula polymorpha, a rapid and copy-number-controlled selection system was developed using a vector containing a telomeric autonomous replication sequence and the bacterial aminoglycoside 3-phosphotransferase (APH) gene. Direct use of the unmodified APH gene as a dominant selectable marker resulted in the extremely slow growth of transformants and the frequent selection of spontaneous resistance. For the proper performance of the APHgene, a set of deleted glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) promoters of H. polymorpha were fused to the APH gene. The fusion construct with the 578-bp GAPDH promoter conferred G418 resistance sufficient to allow rapid growth of transformants, and thus facilitated the selection of transformants with up to 15 tandem copies of the vector. To increase further the integration copy number within the gene-dose-dependent range, the GAPDHpromoter was serially deleted down to the −61 nucleotide. With this weak expression cassette, the integration copy number could easily be controlled between 1 and 50. Tandemly integrated copies of plasmids near the end of the chromosome were mitotically stable over l50 generations. The dosage-dependent selection system of this study would provide a powerful tool for the development of H. polymorpha as an industrial strain to produce recombinant proteins. Received: 23 October 1998 / Received revision: 6 January 1999 / Accepted: 22 January 1999     

Application of yeasts in gene expression studies: a comparison of Saccharomyces cerevisiae,Hansenula polymorpha and Kluyveromyces lactis- a review

From the onset of gene technology yeasts have been among the most commonly used host cells for the production of heterologous proteins. At the beginning of this new development the attention in molecular biology and biotechnology focused on the use of the best characterized species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, leading to an increasing number of production systems for recombinant compounds. In recent years alternative yeasts became accessible for the techniques of modern molecular genetics and, thereby, for potential applications in biotechnology. In this respect Kluyveromyces lactis, and the methylotrophs Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris have been proven to offer significant advantages over the traditional baker's yeast for the production of certain proteins. In the following article, the present status of the various yeast systems is discussed.     

非常规酵母天然产物合成

以解脂耶氏酵母(Yarrowia lipolytica)、巴斯德毕赤酵母(Pichia pastoris)、马克斯克鲁维酵母(Kluyveromyces marxianus)、圆红冬孢酵母(Rhodosporidium toruloides)、多形汉逊酵母(Hansenula polymorpha)为代表的非常规酵母凭借较广的底物利用谱、较强的环境耐受性等优势,已成功实现多种天然产物的高效生产。随着合成生物学及基因编辑技术的发展,针对非常规酵母代谢工程改造的工具和策略也逐渐丰富。本文介绍了几类常见的非常规酵母的生理特性、工具开发及应用现状,并总结归纳了天然产物合成优化中常用的代谢工程策略;最后讨论了现阶段非常规酵母作为天然产物合成细胞工厂的优势和不足,并对后续研究和发展趋势进行了展望。