High-level production of functional muscle alpha-tropomyosin in Pichia pastoris.

Although numerous studies have reported the production of skeletal muscle alpha-tropomyosin in E. coli, the protein needs to be modified at the amino terminus in order to be active. Without these modifications the protein does not bind to actin, does not exhibit head-to-tail polymerization, and does not inhibit the actomyosin Mg(2+)-ATPase in the absence of troponin. On the other hand, the protein produced in insect cells using baculovirus as an expression vector (Urbancikova, M., and Hitchcock-DeGregori, S. E., J. Biol. Chem., 269, 24310-24315, 1994) is only partially acetylated at its amino terminal and therefore is not totally functional. In an attempt to produce an unmodified functional recombinant muscle alpha-tropomyosin for structure-function correlation studies we have expressed the chicken skeletal alpha-tropomyosin cDNA in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Recombinant protein was produced at a high level (20 mg/L) and was similar to the wild type muscle protein in its ability to polymerize, to bind to actin and to regulate the actomyosin S1 Mg(2+)-ATPase.     

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。     

Multiple gene copy number enhances insulin precursor secretion in the yeast Pichia pastoris

We have found a direct relationship between protein production in Pichia pastoris and the number of introduced synthetic genes of miniproinsulin (MPI), fused to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre-pro alpha factor used as secretion signal, and inserted between the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promoter and terminator sequences. Two consecutive approaches were followed to increase the number of integrated cassettes: the head-to-tail expression cassette multimerization procedure and re-transformation with a dominant selection marker. This increased expression from 19 to 250 mg l^–1 when about 11 copies have been integrated. Further, the correct position of one of the disulphide bridges of the purified molecule was verified by digestion with Glu-C endoprotease, followed by mass spectrometry of the isolated fragments.     

An alkaline pH control strategy for methionine adenosyltransferase production in Pichia pastoris fermentation

Pichia pastoris is a successful system for expressing heterologous proteins and its fermentation pH is always maintained below 7.0. However, particular proteins are unstable under acidic conditions, such as methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), and thus fermentation under acidic pH conditions is unsuitable because protein activity is lost owing to denaturation. Here, a strategy employing alkaline pH in the late fermentation period was developed to improve MAT production. Initially, P. pastoris KM71 was transformed with the mat gene to overexpress MAT. After 72 h of in vitro incubation at different pH values, the expressed MAT displayed highest stability at pH 8.0; however, pH 8.0 inhibited cell growth and induced cell rupture, thus affecting protein production. To balance MAT stability and Pichia cell viability, different pH control strategies were compared. In strategy A (reference), the induction pH was maintained at 6.0, whereas in strategy B, it was gradually elevated to 8.0 through a 25 h transition period (80 ～ 105 h). MAT activity was 0.86 U/mg (twofold higher than the control). However, MAT content was reduced by 50% when compared with strategy A, because of proteases released upon cell lysis. To improve cell viability under alkaline conditions, glycerol was added in addition to methanol (strategy C). When compared with strategy B, the MAT-specific activity remained nearly constant, whereas the expression level increased to 1.27 g/L. The alkaline pH control strategy presented herein for MAT production represents an excellent alternative for expressing proteins that are stable only under alkaline conditions.     

Response surface optimization of fermentation conditions for xylanase production by recombinant Pichia pastoris

研究不同碳源、氮源和无机盐对毕赤酵母AX181菌株产木聚糖酶的影响.实验表明,分别采用葡萄糖和玉米浆干粉为碳源和氮源可以明显提高木聚糖酶的产量.无机盐单因子优化实验显示添加适量的(NH4)2SO4、KH2 PO4、MnSO4·H2O、FeSO4·7H2O也可以部分提高木聚糖酶产量.在此基础上利用响应面法优化毕赤酵母产木聚糖酶培养基,利用12次实验的Plackett - Burman设计实验筛选出影响产木聚糖酶的3个主要因素,即玉米浆干粉、MrSO4 ·H2O和FeSO4·7H2O.并进一步通过最陡爬坡路径逼近最大响应区域,采用中心组合实验设计确定最佳条件.优化后的产木聚糖酶培养基组分为(g/L):葡萄糖40.00,玉米浆干粉80.84,(NH4)2SO4 6.25,KH2PO4 1.25、MnSO4·H2O 0.35,FeSO4 ·7H2O 1.31.培养基优化后,实际产酶2 883.86 U/mL,是优化前YPD培养基产酶的2.51倍.     

Enhancement of alkaline phytase production in Pichia pastoris: influence of gene dosage, sequence optimization and expression temperature

Supplementation of animal feed with phytases has proven to be an effective strategy to alleviate phosphorous contamination of soil and water bodies. The inability of non-ruminant animals to digest phytates in corn and soybeans contributes to environmental contamination. Alkaline phytase from lily pollen (LlALP) exhibits unique catalytic and thermal stability properties that could be useful as a feed supplement. rLlALP2 was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris; however, enzyme yields were modest (8-10 mg/L). In this paper, we describe our efforts to enhance rLlALP2 yield by investigating the influence of the following potential limiting factors: transgene copy number, codon bias, sequence optimization, and temperature during expression. Data presented indicate that increasing rLlAlp2 copy number was detrimental to heterologous expression, clones with one copy of wt-rLlAlp2 produced the highest activity, clones with two, four and seven or more copies produced 70%, 25% and 10% respectively, of enzyme activity implying that gene dosage is not limiting rLlALP2 yield. Use of a sequence-optimized rLlAlp2 increased the yield of the active enzyme by 25-50% in one/two copy clones, suggesting that translational efficiency is not a major bottleneck for rLlALP2 expression. Reducing the temperature during heterologous expression led to increases of 1.2-20-fold suggesting that protein folding and post-translational processes may be the dominant factors limiting rLlALP2 expression. Early knowledge of the transgene copy number allowed us to develop a more rational strategy for yield enhancement. Cumulatively, sequence optimization and temperature reduction led to the doubling of rLlALP2 enzyme activity in P. pastoris.     

利用Pichia pastoris生产S-腺苷甲硫氨酸的发酵工艺

在摇瓶中考察了重组Pichia pastoris发酵的诱导剂量,L-甲硫氨酸,以及pH对腺苷甲硫氨酸产量的影响.放大到3.7 L发酵罐和30 L发酵罐后,研究了重组细胞的发酵过程变化,对S-腺苷甲硫氨酸初步纯化.摇瓶中优化后的发酵条件是:每天添加1%甲醇诱导,L-甲硫氨酸为50mmol/L,培养基pH 5.0.培养144 h后SAM产量达到2.32 g/L.3.7 L发酵罐中发酵251 h后细胞浓度为120 g/L,SAM总量为15.18 g.放大到30 L发酵罐中,发酵225.5 h后细胞浓度约为120 g/L,SAM总量为145.05 g.纯化后SAM的纯度为93.5%,回收率为84.5%.     

A model-based feeding strategy for fed-batch fermentation of recombinant Pichia pastoris

A two stage, exponential feeding strategy with mixed glycerol/methanol substrate was used in a fed-batch recombinant Pichia pastorisfermentation. The feeding strategy was developed using a simple model based on mass balances, Monod-type growth kinetics, and constant specific heterologous protein production rate. The model accurately predicted cell growth, and demonstrated the usefulness of a rational, model-based approach for improving the productivity of recombinant P. pastoris fermentation.     

High-level production of Fc-fused kringle domain in Pichia pastoris

Recently, as a new non-immunoglobulin-based protein scaffold, a human kringle domain was successfully engineered toward biologically functional agonists and antagonists. In this study, the fed-batch cultivation conditions were optimized for enhanced production of an Fc-fused kringle domain (KD548-Fc) in Pichia pastoris. Fed-batch cultivations were performed in 5-l laboratory-scale bioreactors, and in order to find the optimal conditions for high-level production of KD548-Fc, several parameters including the initial carbon source (glycerol) concentration, temperature, and pH were investigated. When cells were cultivated at pH 4.0 and 25 °C with 9.5 % glycerol in the initial medium, the highest production yield (635 mg/l) was achieved with high productivity (7.2 mg/l/h). Furthermore, functional KD548-Fc was successfully purified from the culture broth using a simple purification procedure with high purity and recovery yield.     

Heterologous production of Aspergillus fumigatus keratinase in Pichia pastoris

Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius was previously shown to grow in mineral medium containing chicken feather flour as carbon and nitrogen source. Substantial proteolytic keratin-degrading activity was present in the culture supernatant after 24–72 h of growth at 42 °C. The keratinase was successfully purified by a single ion exchange chromatographic procedure and had a molecular mass of 31 kDa as determined by SDS–PAGE. The keratinase cDNA was expressed in Pichia pastoris cells and the recombinant clones were shown to be able to produce substantial caseinolytic, azo-keratinolytic and keratinolytic activities. SDS–PAGE and Western-blotting analysis using antibody against keratinase of A. fumigatus showed the presence of a single protein in the culture supernatants of several recombinant P. pastoris cells. This protein had a molecular mass corresponding to that of the A. fumigatus keratinase. The enzyme production profile showed that theP. pastoris recombinant cells produced an increasing amount of proteolytic and azo-keratinolytic activities over a 72 h growth period. Dry weight determination analysis indicated that 10% of the keratin flour was hydrolysed over a 24 h incubation period with 510 U (caseinolytic activity) of the recombinant keratinase.     

Optimization of the wheat puroindoline-a production in Pichia pastoris

AIMS: A recombinant puroindoline-a (rPIN-a) was produced using the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. METHODS AND RESULTS: In fed-batch culture, the production of rPIN-a decreased after 24 h of methanol induction. Most of the rPIN-a was not soluble in the culture medium remaining bound to the cell walls. Soluble and membrane-bound rPIN-a were quantified by ELISA after Triton X-114 phase partitioning. In order to improve the production of rPIN-a, the influence of pH, specific growth rate and the addition of TX-114 was tested on two independent continuous cultures. The production of rPIN-a was improved when continuous culture was carried out at 29 degrees C under acid conditions (pH 5) with a low dilution rate (D=0.025 h(-1)). The addition of 0.01% TX-114 to the medium inverted the ratio between the secreted and the membrane-bound rPIN-a. CONCLUSION: When a continuous culture was carried out under optimized conditions, the rPIN-a production yield was increased 10-fold to 14 mg l(-1) and 80% of the rPIN-a was soluble. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study would be helpful to optimize the expression of other membrane-bound proteins in P. pastoris.     

Protein expression and purification of human Zbtb7A in Pichia pastoris via gene codon optimization and synthesis

Human Zbtb7A was proved to be an important molecular switch in oncogenesis. However, it is difficult to obtain its protein expression in prokaryotic system, due to high G+C content and rare codons in zbtb7a gene. Therefore, to further research the function and application of this protein, we optimized its coding sequence according to the codon bias of Pichia pastoris, synthesized the sequence with two-step PCR and confirmed the accuracy by DNA sequencing. The assembled fragment was introduced into P. pastoris expression vector pPIC9K and the resultant plasmid pPIC9K-zbtb7a-his(6) was transformed into the P. pastoris strain GS115 by electroporation. The products of the transformants induced by methanol were analyzed by 10% SDS-PAGE and identified by Western Blot assay. The expression conditions of the selected transformant were optimized. Additionally, a two-step purification protocol was applied to purify the recombinant protein. The results showed that the synthetic coding sequence of human Zbtb7A was successfully obtained and inserted into pPIC9K vector. Human Zbtb7A protein was expressed in P. pastoris and identified by western blot. The optimal conditions for its expression in P. pastoris were under a final concentration of 1% methanol and a time-course of 4d. Through the two-step purification, Zbtb7A protein was purified in high purity and its production reached up to as high as 18 mg/L. These results indicated that an effective procedure for expressing and purifying human Zbtb7A in P. pastoris was established.     

Molecular optimization of rabies virus glycoprotein expression in Pichia pastoris

In this work, different approaches were investigated to enhance the expression rabies virus glycoprotein (RABV‐G) in the yeast Pichia pastoris; this membrane protein is responsible for the synthesis of rabies neutralizing antibodies. First, the impact of synonymous codon usage bias was examined and an optimized RABV‐G gene was synthesized. Nevertheless, data showed that the secretion of the optimized RABV‐G gene was not tremendously increased as compared with the non‐optimized one. In addition, similar levels of RABV‐G were obtained when α‐factor mating factor from Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the acid phosphatase PHO1 was used as a secretion signal. Therefore, sequence optimization and secretion signal were not the major bottlenecks for high‐level expression of RABV‐G in P. pastoris. Unfolded protein response (UPR) was induced in clones containing high copy number of RABV‐G expression cassette indicating that folding was the limiting step for RABV‐G secretion. To circumvent this limitation, co‐overexpression of five factors involved in oxidative protein folding was investigated. Among these factors only PDI1, ERO1 and GPX1 proved their benefit to enhance the expression. The highest expression level of RABV‐G reached 1230 ng ml^?1. Competitive neutralizing assay confirmed that the recombinant protein was produced in the correct conformational form in this host.     

发酵重组Pichia pastoris生产腺苷甲硫氨酸的研究

在5L发酵罐中对高产S腺苷甲硫氨酸的重组Pichia pastoris发酵进行了研究。重组菌在pH5．0生长,然后调为pH6．0积累腺苷甲硫氨酸,在30℃、溶氧5％及流加甲硫氨酸和尿素的条件下培养82h后,产量达4．3g／L。     

重组毕赤酵母产植酸酶发酵条件的优化

为研究优化毕赤酵母工程菌H311产植酸酶的发酵条件,采用单因素试验和L18(37)正交试验考察不同工艺条件对产酶活性的影响。结果表明:影响重组毕赤酵母产植酸酶的因素重要性从大到小依次为诱导时间、甲醇添加量、装液量、初始诱导p H、生长时间、接种量和初始生长p H,产酶最佳条件为接种量3%(体积分数)、装液量20 m L(250 m L摇瓶)、生长时间20 h,诱导时间120 h、甲醇添加量1.5%(体积分数)、生长p H 6.0、诱导p H 5.0,在此条件下进行诱导表达,植酸酶的比酶活可达334 U/m L。     

A simple structured model for recombinant IDShr protein production in Pichia pastoris

A simple structured model is proposed for the methanol production phase of the iduronate 2-sulphate sulfatase recombinant enzyme (IDShr) in Pichia patoris Mut(+). The model is mainly focused in oxidative stress phenomenon due to methanol consumption and based on extracellular experimental information and the basic knowledge of methanol metabolism in Pichia pastoris yeast (P. pastoris). The model's prediction shows a reasonable accuracy as compared with the experimental data. Likewise, it was proved that this model is able to simulate the production of other recombinant protein in P. pastoris.     

Expression of bacterial GshF in Pichia pastoris for glutathione production

Conventionally, two consecutive enzymatic reactions catalyzed by γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase are most commonly used for glutathione production. Here we demonstrate that bacterial bifunctional GshF can be used for glutathione production in a eukaryotic system without accumulation of the intermediate γ-glutamylcysteine.     

Functional expression and production of human H-ferritin in Pichia pastoris

Human heavy chain ferritin (H-ferritin) was cloned from human heart cDNA library and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The H-ferritin transformant was cultivated by fed-batch and the cell mass reached about 52 g cell dry wt l^–1 after 150 h. In atomic absorption spectrometry analysis, intracellular content of iron in H-ferritin transformant was measured to 3038 ± 72 g g^–1 which was 9.6-fold more than that of control strain.