Modification of a gene encoding hybrid xylanase and its expression in Pichia pastoris

To obtain the protein expression of a hybrid xylanase in yeast, the gene encoding it was modified according to the codon bias of Pichia pastoris and expressed extracellularly in this yeast as an active xylanase, MBtx, exhibited a molecular mass of approximately 35 kDa on SDS–PAGE. The pH behavior of MBtx in terms of both activity and stability was similar to that of Btx, original gene product in Escherichia coli, while a certain difference was observed in optimal temperature for activity and in thermal stability. HPLC analysis revealed the xylan in wheat could be hydrolyzed by MBtx and the major hydrolysis product was xylotriose. These results showed codon usage played a key role in regulating the expression of the hybrid xylanase in P. pastoris and the recombinant hybrid xylanase, MBtx, produced by P. pastoris could be potentially useful in feed industry.     

High-level expression of a biologically active staphylokinase in Pichia pastoris

Staphylokinase (SAK) as the third generation thrombolytic molecule is a promising agent for the treatment of thrombosis. SAK variant of SAKфC was expressed in Pichia pastoris strains KM71H and GS115. The codon adaptation index of SAK was improved from 0.75 to 0.89. The expression of recombinant SAK (rSAK) reached to its maximum (310?mg/L of the culture medium) after 48-hr stimulation with 3% methanol and remained steady until day 5. The maximum activity of the enzyme was at pH 8.6 and 37°C. It was highly active at temperatures 20–37°C and pH ranges of 6.8–9 (relative residual activity more than 80%). It was determined that rSAK was 73.8% of the total proteins secreted by P. pastoris KM71H into the culture media. The specific activities of rSAK were measured as 9,002 and 21,042?U/mg for the nonpurified and purified proteins, respectively. The quantity of the purified protein (>99% purity) was 720?µg/mL with a purification factor of 2.34. Western blot analysis showed two bands of nearly 22 and 18.6?kDa. It was concluded that P. pastoris is a proper host for expression of biologically active and endotoxin-free rSAK due to its high expression and low protein impurity in culture supernatant.     

Cloning of a gene encoding thermostable glucoamylase from Chaetomium thermophilum and its expression in Pichia pastoris

AIMS: Chaetomium thermophilum is a soil-borne thermophilic fungus whose molecular biology is poorly understood. Only a few genes have been cloned from the Chaetomium genus. This study attempted to clone, to sequence and to express a thermostable glucoamylase gene of C. thermophilum. METHODS AND RESULTS: First strand cDNA was prepared from total RNA isolated from C. thermophilum and the glucoamylase gene amplified by using PCR. Degenerate primers based on the N-terminal sequences of the purified glucoamylase according to our previous works and a cDNA fragment encoding the glucoamylase gene was obtained through RT-PCR. Using RACE-PCR, full-length cDNA of glucoamylase gene was cloned from C. thermophilum. The full-length cDNA of the glucoamylase was 2016 bp and contained a 1797-bp open reading frame encoding a protein glucoamylase precursor of 599 amino acid residues. The amino-acid sequence from 31 to 45 corresponded to the N-terminal sequence of the purified protein. The first 30 amino acids were presumed to be a signal peptide. The alignment results of the putative amino acid sequence showed the catalytic domain of the glucoamylase was high homology with the catalytic domains of the other glucoamylases. The C. thermophilum glucoamylase gene was expressed in Pichia pastoris, and the glucoamylase was secreted into the culture medium by the yeast in a functionally active form. The recombinant glucoamylase purified was a glycoprotein with a size of about 66 kDa, and exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 4.5-5.0 and 65 degrees C. The enzyme was stable at 60 degrees C, the enzyme activity kept 80% after 60 min incubation at 70 degrees C. The half-life was 40 and 10 min under incubation at 80 and 90 degrees C respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A new thermostable glucoamylase gene of C. thermophilum was cloned, sequenced, overexpressed successfully in P. pastoris. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Because of its thermostability and overexpression, this glucoamylase enzyme offers an interesting potential in saccharification steps in both starch enzymatic conversion and in alcohol production.     

Characterization of cDNA clones encoding a novel calcium-activated neutral proteinase from Schistosoma mansoni

To identify and characterize Schistosoma mansoni proteins that are recognized by infected hosts, we have used a pool of sera from infected humans to screen cDNA libraries constructed from poly(A)+ mRNA of adult S. mansoni. The deduced amino acid sequences of the three isolated clones showed a high degree of similarity to the large subunit of calcium-activated neutral proteinase (CANP) from humans and chicken. These overlapping clones, which include a nearly full-length clone with an open reading frame of 758 amino acid residues, together encode the entire large subunit of CANP. The deduced sequence of this S. mansoni protein can be divided into four domains (I-IV) that include the two domains characteristic of other large subunits of CANP: a thiol-protease domain (II) and a calcium-binding domain (IV) containing EF hand motifs. However, the schistosome protein is unique in having only three EF hand motifs in the calcium-binding domain and in having an additional EF hand motif that is shared between domains II and III. We have shown that these EF hand motifs are capable of binding 45Ca2+. Furthermore, the large subunit is S. mansoni contains an NH2-terminal sequence of 28 residues that is absent from the mammalian CANPs and has a high degree of similarity to the presumed receptor binding sequence of colicin Ia and Ib.     

Heterologous expression of the plant cysteine protease bromelain and its inhibitor in Pichia pastoris

Expression of proteases in heterologous hosts remains an ambitious challenge due to severe problems associated with digestion of host proteins. On the other hand, proteases are broadly used in industrial applications and resemble promising drug candidates. Bromelain is an herbal drug that is medicinally used for treatment of oedematous swellings and inflammatory conditions and consists in large part of proteolytic enzymes. Even though various experiments underline the requirement of active cysteine proteases for biological activity, so far no investigation succeeded to clearly clarify the pharmacological mode of action of bromelain. The potential role of proteases themselves and other molecules of this multi‐component extract currently remain largely unknown or ill defined. Here, we set out to express several bromelain cysteine proteases as well as a bromelain inhibitor molecule in order to gain defined molecular entities for subsequent studies. After cloning the genes from its natural source Ananas comosus (pineapple plant) into Pichia pastoris and subsequent fermentation and purification, we obtained active protease and inhibitor molecules which were subsequently biochemically characterized. Employing purified bromelain fractions paves the way for further elucidation of pharmacological activities of this natural product. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:54–65, 2017     

Molecular cloning of the cDNA encoding laccase from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus I-937 and expression in Pichia pastoris.

Laccases are multicopper-containing enzymes which catalyse the oxidation of phenolic and nonphenolic compounds with the concomitant reduction of molecular oxygen. In this study, a full-length cDNA coding for laccase (lac1) from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus I-937 was isolated and characterized. The corresponding open reading frame is 1557 nucleotides long and encodes a protein of 518 amino acids. The cDNA encodes a precursor protein containing a 21 amino-acid signal sequence corresponding to a putative signal peptide. The deduced amino-acid sequence of the encoded protein was similar to that of other laccase proteins, with the residues involved in copper coordination sharing the greatest extent of similarity. The cDNA encoding for laccase was placed under the control of the alcohol oxidase (Aox 1) promoter and expressed in the methylotropic yeast Pichia pastoris. The laccase leader peptide, as well as the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-factor signal peptide, efficiently directed the secretion into the culture medium of laccase in an active form. Moreover, the laccase activity was directly detected in plates. The identity of the recombinant product was further confirmed by protein immunoblotting. The expected molecular mass of the mature protein is 81 kDa. However, the apparent molecular mass of the recombinant protein is 110 k Da, thus suggesting that the protein expressed in P. pastoris may be hyperglycosylated.     

玉米赤霉烯酮降解酶毕赤酵母表达载体的构建及其表达

目的构建毕赤酵母表达载体pPIC9-ZEN-jjm,筛选高效分泌表达活性目的蛋白的菌株。方法克隆ZEN-jjm基因,经EcoRⅠ和NotⅠ双酶切连接至pPIC9中,电转化至毕赤酵母GS115。利用RDB培养基和甲醇诱导表达进行筛选。HPLC检测表达蛋白降解玉米赤霉烯酮的活性。结果测序表明ZEN-jjm成功插入pPIC9中,SDS-PAGE表明获得1株高效表达目的蛋白的重组酵母,其分子量约29 kDa。HPLC表明其能有效地降解玉米赤霉烯酮。结论玉米赤霉烯酮降解酶在毕赤酵母中获得了高效分泌表达。     

利用毕赤酵母系统直接分泌表达具有活性的谷氨酰胺转胺酶

使用异源表达系统直接分泌表达具有活性的微生物谷氨酰胺转氨酶(Microbial transglutaminase,MTG)是目前最具前景的MTG生产方法之一,但由于产量较低无法实现工业化生产.毕赤酵母是近年来发展出的高效蛋白表达系统.通过采用pro序列与成熟MTG基因共表达的策略,成功地实现了用重组毕赤酵母分泌表达具有活性的茂原链霉菌Streptomyces mobaraense MTG.进一步通过对pro序列和MTG基因拷贝数以及重组酵母培养条件的优化,最终使得MTG在1L发酵罐中高密度发酵的酶活达到7.3 U/mL,为MTG的工业化生产奠定了基础.     

Cloning of a gene encoding thermostable cellobiohydrolase from the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum and its expression in Pichia pastoris

Aims:  A new cellobiohydrolase (CBH) gene ( cbh3 ) from Chaetomium thermophilum was cloned, sequenced and expressed in Pichia pastoris .
Methods and Results:  Using RACE-PCR, a new thermostable CBH gene ( cbh3 ) was cloned from C. thermophilum . The cDNA of the CBH was 1607 bp and contained a 1356 bp open reading frame encoding a protein CBH precursor of 451 amino acid residues. The mature protein structure of C. thermophilum CBH3 only comprises a catalytic domain and lacks cellulose-binding domain and a hinge region. The gene was expressed in P. pastoris . The recombinant CBH purified was a glycoprotein with a size of about 48·0 kDa, and exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 5·0 and 60 °C. The enzyme was more resistant to high temperature. The CBH could hydrolyse microcrystalline cellulose and filter paper.
Conclusions:  A new thermostable CBH gene of C. thermophilum was cloned, sequenced and overexpressed in P. pastoris .
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This CBH offers an interesting potential in saccharification steps in both cellulose enzymatic conversion and alcohol production.     

普鲁兰酶基因在毕赤酵母中组成型表达及定点突变研究

合成Bacillus acidopullulyticus的全长普鲁兰酶基因并在毕赤酵母X-33中进行组成型外分泌表达,重组酶的最适作用温度为60℃,最适作用pH值为4.5~5.0,酶比活力为2.0 U/mg.采用重叠延伸PCR方法对普鲁兰酶基因进行定点突变,实验结果表明,625、626位点Ala、Leu氨基酸突变为Leu、Tyr氨基酸后,该酶的催化效率有所降低,而Gln487Ala的突变对催化效率没有较大的影响.该研究结果为探究关键氨基酸区域对催化效率的影响提供了一定的理论和实验基础.     

Design and expression of a synthetic phyC gene encoding the neutral phytase in Pichia pastoris

The 1074-bp phyCs gene (optimized phyC gene) encoding neutral phytase was designed andsynthesized according to the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris codon usage bias without altering theprotein sequence.The expression vector,pP9K-phyCs,was linearized and transformed in P.pastoris.Theyield of total extracellular phytase activity was 17.6 U/ml induced in Buffered Methanol-complex Medium(BMMY) and 18.5 U/ml in Wheat Bran Extract Induction (WBEI) medium at the flask scale,respectively,improving over 90 folds compared with the wild-type isolate.Purified enzyme showed temperature optimumof 70℃ and pH optimum of 7.5.The enzyme activity retained 97% of the relative activity afterincubation at 80℃ for 5 min.Because of the heavy glycosylation the expressed phytase had a molecularsize of approximately 51 kDa.After deglycosylation by endoglycosylase H (EndoH_f),the enzyme had anapparent molecular size of 42 kDa.Its property and thermostability was affected by the glycosylation.     

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.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding asparaginyl endopeptidase from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) senescent leaves

Asparaginyl endopeptidase is a cysteine endopeptidase that has strict substrate specificity toward the carboxyl side of asparagine residues, and is possibly involved in the post-translational processing of proproteins. In this report one full-length cDNA, SPAE, was isolated from senescent leaves of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam). SPAE contained 1479 nucleotides (492 amino acids) in the open reading frame, and exhibited high amino acid sequence homologies (c. 61-68%) with asparaginyl endopeptidases of Vicia sativa, Phaseolus vulgaris, Canavalia ensiformis, and Vigna mungo. SPAE probably encoded a putative precursor protein. Via cleavage of the N- and C-termini, it produced a mature protein containing 325 amino acids (from the 51st to the 375th amino acid residues), the conserved catalytic residues (the 173rd His and 215th Cys amino acid residues), and the putative N-glycosylation site (the 332nd Asn amino acid residue). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot hybridization showed that SPAE gene expression was enhanced significantly in natural senescent leaves and in dark- and ethephon-induced senescent leaves, but was much less in mature green leaves, stems, and roots. Phylogenic analysis showed that SPAE displayed close association with vacuolar processing enzymes (legumains/asparaginyl endopeptidases), which function via cleavage for proprotein maturation in the protein bodies during seed maturation and germination. In conclusion, sweet potato SPAE is probably a functional, senescence-associated gene and its mRNA and protein levels were significantly enhanced in natural and induced senescent leaves. The possible role and function of SPAE associated with bulk protein degradation and mobilization during leaf senescence were also discussed.     

Isolation, characterization, and molecular cloning of the cDNA encoding a novel phytase from Aspergillus niger 113 and high expression in Pichia pastoris

Phytases catalyze the release of phosphate from phytic acid. Phytase-producing microorganisms were selected by culturing the soil extracts on agar plates containing phytic acid. Two hundred colonies that exhibited potential phytase activity were selected for further study. The colony showing the highest phytase activity was identified as Aspergillus niger and designated strain 113. The phytase gene from A. niger 113 (phyI1) was isolated, cloned, and characterized. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identity between phyI1 and phyA from NRRL3135 were 90% and 98%, respectively. The identity between phyI1 and phyA from SK-57 was 89% and 96%. A synthetic phytase gene, phyI1s, was synthesized by successive PCR and transformed into the yeast expression vector carrying a signal peptide that was designed and synthesized using P. pastoris biased codon. For the phytase expression and secretion, the construct was integrated into the genome of P. pastoris by homologous recombination. Over-expressing strains were selected and fermented. It was discovered that ~4.2 g phytase could be purified from one liter of culture fluid. The activity of the resulting phytase was 9.5 U/mg. Due to the heavy glycosylation, the expressed phytase varied in size (120, 95, 85, and 64 kDa), but could be deglycosylated to a homogeneous 64 kDa species. An enzymatic kinetics analysis showed that the phytase had two pH optima (pH 2.0 and pH 5.0) and an optimum temperature of 60 degrees C.     

High level expression of active recombinant human interleukin-3 in Pichia pastoris

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a hematopoietic growth factor involved in the survival, proliferation and differentiation of multipotent hematopoietic cells. A DNA fragment containing the mature human IL-3 sequence was cloned into pPICZαA, generating a fusion protein with the alpha factor signal sequence in the N-terminus and 6×His as well as c-Myc tags in the C-terminus. The resulting plasmid was integrated into the genome of Pichia pastoris strain X-33. Recombinant yeast transformants with high-level rhIL-3 production were identified, secreting as much as 26 mg/L rhIL-3 after 4 days of induction by methanol in flask. The rhIL-3 was purified by Ni⁺-NTA affinity chromatography, followed by DEAE anion exchange, yielding over 95% highly purified rhIL-3 preparation at about 21 mg/L. Mass spectrometry and MALDI-TOF-TOF analysis of the purified rIL-3 showed molecular weights of 18995.694 Da and 22317.469 Da, due to different degrees of N-linked glycosylation. The biological activity of the rhIL-3 proteins was confirmed by its ability to support ba/f3 cells proliferation and activate the ERK signaling pathways. The results demonstrate that the experimental procedure we have developed can produce a large amount of active recombinant human IL-3 from P. pastoris.     

Anti-oxidative effect of ribonuclease inhibitor by site-directed mutagenesis and expression in Pichia pastoris

Human placental ribonuclease inhibitor(hRI)is an acidic protein of Mr-50kDa with unusually high contents of leucine and cysteine residues.It is a cytosolic protein that protects cells from the adventitious invasion of pancreatic-type ribonuclease.hRI has 32 cysteine residues,and the oxidative formation of disulfide bonds from those cysteine residues is a rapid cooperative process that inactivates hRI.The most proximal cysteine residues in native hRI are two pairs that are adjacent in sequence.In the present aork,two molecules of alanine substituting for Cys328 and Cys329 were performed by site-directed mutagenesis.The site-mutated RI cDNA was constructed into plasmid pPIC9K and then transformed Pichia pastoris GS115 by electroporation.After colony screening,the bacterium was cultured and the product Was purified with affinity chromatography.The affinity of the recombinant human RI with double site mutation was examined for RNase A and its anti-oxidative effect.Results indicated that there were not many changes in the affinity for RNase A detected when compared with the wild type of RI.But the capacity of anti-oxidative effect increased by 7～9 times.The enhancement in anti-oxidative efrect might be attributed to preventing the formation of disulfide bond between Cys328 and Cys329 and the three dimensional structure of RI was thereby maintained.     

重组萝卜磷脂氢谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶在毕赤酵母优化表达初步纯化与鉴定

将萝卜磷脂氢谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（RsPHGPx）基因插入到分泌表达载体pPIC9K中,转化巴斯德毕赤酵母GS115细胞,筛选具有G418抗性的单拷贝转化子。经过优化表达条件,RsPHGPx在1%甲醇、pH6.0、28℃条件下诱导60h后得到最大表达量,产率约为102 mg/L。通过硫酸铵分级沉淀、脱盐柱脱盐、凝胶过滤等纯化步骤,得到了90%以上纯度的RsPHGPx．活性分析显示纯化获得的RsPHGPx具有依赖于GSH的还原活性, 比活性为4.2μmol/min·mg,为获得大量RsPHGPx而用于应用开发研究奠定了基础。     

烟曲霉脯氨酰内肽酶在巴斯德毕赤酵母中的分泌表达与重组酶性质

【目的】研究烟曲霉脯氨酰内肽酶cDNA基因的异源表达及重组酶性质。【方法】以烟曲霉CICIM F0044总RNA为模板,反转录合成cDNA;再以cDNA为模板,通过PCR扩增去除自身信号肽的脯氨酰内肽酶基因,构建表达载体pPIC9K-PEP;电转化酵母宿主菌Pichia pastoris GS115,获得重组菌PEP-09;纯化并分析重组酶性质。【结果】重组菌摇瓶发酵酶活力最高可达647.3 U/L。表达产物纯化后的分子量为63 kD左右。重组酶最适反应温度为65°C,有较好的温度稳定性,在55°C保温8 h能保留90%以上的酶活力。该酶最适pH为5.5,在pH 3.0 9.0范围内有很好稳定性,在pH 6.0 8.0的缓冲液中37°C保温10 d酶活没有明显变化。【结论】烟曲霉脯氨酰内肽酶cDNA基因在巴斯德毕赤酵母中实现了分泌表达,重组酶活性稳定,有一定的应用潜力。