A strong nitrogen source-regulated promoter for controlled expression of foreign genes in the yeast Pichia pastoris

Novel transcriptional regulation of the GAP promoter in Pichia pastoris towards high expression of heterologous proteins

BACKGROUND

Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffii) is a promising production host, but the usage of methanol limits its application in the medicine and food industries.

RESULTS

To improve the constitutive expression of heterologous proteins in P. pastoris, four new potential transcription regulators (Loc1p, Msn2p, Gsm1p, Hot1p) of the glyceraldehyde triphosphate dehydrogenase promoter (pGAP) were revealed in this study by using cellulase E4 as reporter gene. On this basis, a series of P. pastoris strains with knockout or overexpression of transcription factors were constructed and the deletion of transcription factor binding sites on pGAP was confirmed. The results showed that Loc1p and Msn2p can inhibit the activity of pGAP, while Gsm1p and Hot1p can enhance the activity of pGAP; Loc1p, Gsm1p and Hot1p can bind directly to pGAP, while Msn2p must be treated to expose the C-terminal domain to bind to pGAP. Moreover, manipulating a single transcription factor led to a 0.96-fold to 2.43-fold increase in xylanase expression. In another model protein, aflatoxin oxidase, knocking out Loc1 based on AFO-∆Msn2 strain resulted in a 0.63-fold to 1.4-fold increase in expression. It can be demonstrated that the combined use of transcription factors can further improve the expression of exogenous proteins in P. pastoris.

CONCLUSION

These findings will contribute to the construction of pGAP-based P. pastoris systems towards high expression of heterologous proteins, hence improving the application potential of yeast.

Unlocking Nature's Toolbox: glutamate-inducible recombinant protein production from the Komagatella phaffii PEPCK promoter

BACKGROUND

Komagataella phaffii (a.k.a. Pichia pastoris) harbors a glutamate utilization pathway in which synthesis of glutamate dehydrogenase 2 and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is induced by glutamate. Glutamate-inducible synthesis of these enzymes is regulated by Rtg1p, a cytosolic, basic helix-loop-helix protein. Here, we report food-grade monosodium glutamate (MSG)-inducible recombinant protein production from K. phaffii PEPCK promoter (PPEPCK) using green fluorescent protein (GFP) and receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 virus (RBD) as model proteins.

RESULTS

PPEPCK-RBD/GFP expression cassette was integrated at two different sites in the genome to improve recombinant protein yield from PPEPCK. The traditional, methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX1) was used as the benchmark. Initial studies carried out with MSG as the inducer resulted in low recombinant protein yield. A new strategy employing MSG/ethanol mixed feeding improved biomass generation as well as recombinant protein yield. Cell density of 100-120 A600 units/ml was achieved after 72 h of induction in shake flask cultivations, resulting in recombinant protein yield from PPEPCK that is comparable or even higher than that from PAOX1.

CONCLUSIONS

We have designed an induction medium for recombinant protein production from K. phaffii PPEPCK in shake flask cultivations. It consists of 1.0% yeast extract, 2.0% peptone, 0.17% yeast nitrogen base with ammonium sulfate, 100 mM potassium phosphate (pH 6.0), 0.4 mg/L biotin, 2.0% MSG, and 2% ethanol. Substitution of ammonium sulphate with 0.5% urea is optional. Carbon source was replenished every 24 h during 72 h induction period. Under these conditions, GFP and RBD yields from PPEPCK equaled and even surpassed those from PAOX1. Compared to the traditional methanol-inducible expression system, the inducers of glutamate-inducible expression system are non-toxic and their metabolism does not generate toxic metabolites such as formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide. This study sets the stage for MSG-inducible, industrial scale recombinant protein production from K. phaffii PPEPCK in bioreactors.

Komagataella phaffii as a Platform for Heterologous Expression of Enzymes Used for Industry

In the 1980s, Escherichia coli was the preferred host for heterologous protein expression owing to its capacity for rapid growth in complex media; well-studied genetics; rapid and direct transformation with foreign DNA; and easily scalable fermentation. Despite the relative ease of use of E. coli for achieving the high expression of many recombinant proteins, for some proteins, e.g., membrane proteins or proteins of eukaryotic origin, this approach can be rather ineffective. Another microorganism long-used and popular as an expression system is baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In spite of a number of obvious advantages of these yeasts as host cells, there are some limitations on their use as expression systems, for example, inefficient secretion, misfolding, hyperglycosylation, and aberrant proteolytic processing of proteins. Over the past decade, nontraditional yeast species have been adapted to the role of alternative hosts for the production of recombinant proteins, e.g., Komagataella phaffii, Yarrowia lipolytica, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. These yeast species' several physiological characteristics (that are different from those of S. cerevisiae), such as faster growth on cheap carbon sources and higher secretion capacity, make them practical alternative hosts for biotechnological purposes. Currently, the K. phaffii-based expression system is one of the most popular for the production of heterologous proteins. Along with the low secretion of endogenous proteins, K. phaffii efficiently produces and secretes heterologous proteins in high yields, thereby reducing the cost of purifying the latter. This review will discuss practical approaches and technological solutions for the efficient expression of recombinant proteins in K. phaffii, mainly based on the example of enzymes used for the feed industry.

Promoters in Pichia pastoris: A Toolbox for Fine-Tuned Gene Expression

This chapter reviews the different promoters used to control gene expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris, mainly for recombinant protein production. It covers natural inducible, derepressed, and constitutive promoters, as well as engineered synthetic/hybrid promoters, orthologous promoters from related yeasts, and emerging bidirectional promoters. Key examples, characteristics, and regulatory mechanisms are discussed for each promoter class. Recent efforts in promoter engineering through rational design, mutagenesis, and computational approaches are also highlighted. Looking ahead, we anticipate further developments that will enhance promoter design for Pichia pastoris. Overall, this comprehensive overview underscores the importance of promoter choice and engineering for fully harnessing Pichia pastoris biotechnological potential.

Use of an on/off tetracycline riboswitch to control protein production in Komagataella phaffii

The methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii is one of the most important microbial platforms to produce recombinant proteins. Despite its importance in the context of industrial biotechnology, the use of synthetic biology approaches in K. phaffii is hampered by the fact that few genetic tools are available for precise control of gene expression in this system. In this work, we used an RNA aptamer activated by tetracycline to modulate protein production at the translational level. Using lacZ as gene reporter, we have demonstrated significant reduction of the heterologous protein upon addition of tetracycline. Furthermore, this genetic control device was applied for the control of Ku70p. This protein is involved in non-homologous recombination and the control of its production paves the way for the development of strains exhibiting higher rates of homologous recombination.

A switchable secrete-and-capture system enables efficient selection of Pichia pastoris clones producing high yields of Fab fragments

Pichia pastoris (syn. Komagataella phaffii) represents a commonly used expression system in the biotech industry. High clonal variation of transformants, however, typically results in a broad range of specific productivities for secreted proteins. To isolate rare clones with exceedingly high product titers, an extensive number of clones need to be screened. In contrast to high-throughput screenings of P. pastoris clones in microtiter plates, secrete-and-capture methodologies have the potential to efficiently isolate high-producer clones among millions of cells through fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Here, we describe a novel approach for the non-covalent binding of fragment antigen-binding (Fab) proteins to the cell surface for the isolation of high-producing clones. Eight different single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-based capture matrices specific for the constant part of the Fabs were fused to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-agglutinin (SAG1) anchor protein for surface display in P. pastoris. By encoding the capture matrix on an episomal plasmid harboring inherently unstable autonomously replicating sequences (ARS), this secrete-and-capture system offers a switchable scFv display. Efficient plasmid clearance upon removal of selective pressure enabled the direct use of isolated clones for subsequent Fab production. Flow-sorted clones (n = 276) displaying high amounts of Fabs showed a significant increase in median Fab titers detected in the cell-free supernatant (CFS) compared to unsorted clones (n = 276) when cells were cultivated in microtiter plates (factor in the range of ∼21-49). Fab titers of clones exhibiting the highest product titer observed for each of the two approaches were increased by up to 8-fold for the sorted clone. Improved Fab yields of sorted cells vs. unsorted cells were confirmed in an upscaled shake flask cultivation of selected candidates (factor in the range of ∼2-3). Hence, the developed display-based selection method proved to be a valuable tool for efficient clone screening in the early stages of our bioprocess development.

Isolation and evaluation of strong endogenous promoters for the heterologous expression of proteins in Pichia pastoris

BACKGROUND

The heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathway genes for pharmaceutical or fine chemical production usually requires to express more than one gene in the host cells. In eukaryotes, the pathway flux is typically balanced by controlling the transcript levels of the genes involved. It is difficult to balance the stoichiometric fine-tuning of the reaction steps of the pathway by acting on one or two promoters. Furthermore, the promoter used should not be identical to avoid loss of inserted genes by recombination or dilute its transcription factors.

RESULTS

Based on RNA-seq data, 18 candidate genes with the highest transcription levels at three carbon sources (glucose, glycerol and methanol) were selected and their promoter regions were isolated from GS115 genome. The performance of these promoters on the level of protein production was evaluated using LacZ and EGFP genes as the reporters, respectively. These isolated promoters all exhibited activity to express LacZ gene. Using LacZ as a reporter, of the 18 promoter candidates, 9 promoters showed higher expression levels for the reporter compare to pGAP, a strong promoter widely used for constitutive expression of heterologous proteins in Pichia pastoris. These promoters with high expression levels were further employed to evaluate secreted expression using EGFP as a reporter. 6 promoters exhibited stronger protein expression compare to pGAP. Interestingly, the protein expression driven by pFDH1 was slightly higher than that of commonly used pAOX1 at methanol, and methanol-induced expression of pFDH1 was not repressed by glycerol.

CONCLUSION

The various promoters identified in this study could be used for heterologous expression of biosynthetic pathway genes for pharmaceutical or fine chemical production. the methanol-induced pFDH1 that is not repressed by glycerol is an attractive alternative to pAOX1 and may provide a novel way to produce heterologous proteins in Pichia pastoris.

Role of Dissimilative Pathway of Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris): Formaldehyde Toxicity and Energy Metabolism

Komagataella phaffii (aka Pichia pastoris) is a yeast able to grow in methanol as the sole carbon and energy source. This substrate is converted into formaldehyde, a toxic intermediary that can either be assimilated to biomass or dissimilated to CO₂ through the enzymes formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FLD) and formate dehydrogenase, also producing energy in the form of NADH. The dissimilative pathway has been described as an energy producing and a detoxifying route, but conclusive evidence has not been provided for this. In order to elucidate this theory, we generated mutants lacking the FLD activity (Δfld1) and used flux analysis to evaluate the metabolic impact of this disrupted pathway. Unexpectedly, we found that the specific growth rate of the Δfld1 strain was only slightly lower (92%) than the control. In contrast, the sensitivity to formaldehyde pulses (up to 8mM) was significantly higher in the Δfld1 mutant strain and was associated with a higher maintenance energy. In addition, the intracellular flux estimation revealed a high metabolic flexibility of K. phaffii in response to the disrupted pathway. Our results suggest that the role of the dissimilative pathway is mainly to protect the cells from the harmful effect of formaldehyde, as they were able to compensate for the energy provided from this pathway when disrupted.

Comparative transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal the methanol dissimilation pathway of Pichia pastoris

BACKGROUND

Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffii) is a model organism widely used for the recombinant expression of eukaryotic proteins, and it can metabolize methanol as its sole carbon and energy source. Methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde by alcohol oxidase (AOX). In the dissimilation pathway, formaldehyde is oxidized to CO2 by formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FLD), S-hydroxymethyl glutathione hydrolase (FGH) and formate dehydrogenase (FDH).

RESULTS

The transcriptome and metabolome of P. pastoris were determined under methanol cultivation when its dissimilation pathway cut off. Firstly, Δfld and Δfgh were significantly different compared to the wild type (GS115), with a 60.98% and 23.66% reduction in biomass, respectively. The differential metabolites between GS115 and Δfld were mainly enriched in ABC transporters, amino acid biosynthesis, and protein digestion and absorption. Secondly, comparative transcriptome between knockout and wild type strains showed that oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis and the TCA cycle were downregulated, while alcohol metabolism, proteasomes, autophagy and peroxisomes were upregulated. Interestingly, the down-regulation of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway was positively correlated with the gene order of dissimilation pathway knockdown. In addition, there were significant differences in amino acid metabolism and glutathione redox cycling that raised our concerns about formaldehyde sorption in cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first time that integrity of dissimilation pathway analysis based on transcriptomics and metabolomics was carried out in Pichia pastoris. The blockage of dissimilation pathway significantly down-regulates the level of oxidative phosphorylation and weakens the methanol assimilation pathway to the point where deficiencies in energy supply and carbon fixation result in inefficient biomass accumulation and genetic replication. In addition, transcriptional upregulation of the proteasome and autophagy may be a stress response to resolve formaldehyde-induced DNA-protein crosslinking.

Strains and Molecular Tools for Recombinant Protein Production in Pichia pastoris

Within the last two decades, the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffii) has become an important alternative to E. coli or mammalian cell lines for the production of recombinant proteins. Easy handling, strong promoters, and high cell density cultivations as well as the capability of posttranslational modifications are some of the major benefits of this yeast. The high secretion capacity and low level of endogenously secreted proteins further promoted the rapid development of a versatile Pichia pastoris toolbox. This chapter reviews common and new "Pichia tools" and their specific features. Special focus is given to expression strains, such as different methanol utilization, protease-deficient or glycoengineered strains, combined with application highlights. Different promoters and signal sequences are also discussed.

Engineering of Promoters for Gene Expression in Pichia pastoris

The availability of exceptionally strong and tightly regulated promoters is a key feature of Komagataella phaffii (syn. Pichia pastoris), a widely applied yeast expression system for heterologous protein production. Most commonly, the methanol-inducible promoter of the alcohol oxidase 1 gene (P_AOX1) and the constitutive promoter of the glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase gene (P_GAP) have been used. Recently, also promising novel constitutive (P_GCW14), regulated (P_GTH1, P_CAT1), and bidirectional promoters (histone promoters and synthetic hybrid variants) have been reported.As natural promoters showed so far limited tunability of expression levels and regulatory profiles, various promoter engineering efforts have been undertaken for P. pastoris . P_AOX1, P_DAS2, P_GAP, and P_GCW14 have been engineered by systematic deletion studies or random mutagenesis of upstream regulatory sequences. New engineering strategies have focused on P_AOX1 core promoter modifications by random or rational approaches and transcriptional regulatory circuits to render P_AOX1 independent of methanol induction. These promoter engineering efforts in P. pastoris have resulted in improved, sequence-diversified synthetic promoter variants allowing coordinated fine-tuning of gene expression for a multitude of biotechnological applications.

Efficient endo-β-1,3-glucanase expression in Pichia pastoris for co-culture with Agrobacterium sp. for direct curdlan oligosaccharide production

The production of curdlan oligosaccharides, a multifunctional and valuable carbohydrate, by hydrolyzing polysaccharides is of great interest. The endo-β-1,3-glucanase derived from Trichoderma harzianum was expressed in Pichia pastoris with three commonly used promoters (AOX1, GAP and FLD1). The purified recombinant endo-β-1,3-glucanase expressed by Pichia pastoris with GAP promoter displayed high specific activity at pH 5.5 and 50 °C. Thereafter, a co-culture system of Pichia pastoris GS115 (GAP promoter) and Agrobacterium sp. was constructed in which Agrobacterium sp.-metabolized curdlan can be directly hydrolyzed by Pichia pastoris-secreted endo-β-1,3-glucanase to produce functional curdlan oligosaccharides. The co-culture conditions were optimized and the process was carried out in a 7-L bioreactor. The maximum yield of curdlan oligosaccharides reached 18.77 g/L with 3-10 degrees of polymerization. This study presents a novel and easy curdlan oligosaccharide production strategy that can replace traditional sophisticated production procedures and could potentially be implemented for production of other oligosaccharides.

Gelatin expression from an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae CUP1 promoter in Pichia pastoris

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (reclassified as Komagataella phaffii) is a versatile protein expression system, yet many commonly used promoters have attributes undesirable for fermentation or its optimization. Hence, the copper-inducible CUP1 gene promoter from the related yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to express human gelatin. Multimerization of a potential copper response element in the CUP1 promoter, a S. cerevisiae Ace1p binding site, significantly increased gelatin expression. Expression was induced by copper in a dose-dependent fashion and was not dependent on cell density. Gelatin was additionally induced in standard copper-containing fermentation basal salts media. Removal of a S. cerevisiae heat shock factor (Hsf1p) binding site reduced copper-dependent gelatin induction suggesting that a similar protein may regulate this promoter in P. pastoris. This engineered copper inducible promoter expands the yeast recombinant protein production tool kit.

Characterization and application of a putative transcription factor (SUT2) in Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is able to metabolize methanol via a specific MUT (methanol utilization) pathway. Based on the powerful AOX1 (Alcohol Oxidase 1) promoter, the P. pastoris expression system has become one of the most widely used eukaryotic expression systems. The molecular mechanisms of methanol metabolic regulation remain unclearly understood, so it is important to identify and develop new transcriptional regulators. Our previous studies suggested that the expression of SUT2 could be induced by methanol but is repressed by glycerol, which indicates that SUT2 may be involved in methanol metabolism through an unknown mechanism. SUT2 encodes a putative transcription factor-like protein harboring a Gal4-like Zn₂Cys₆ DNA-binding domain in Pichia pastoris, and its homolog in Saccharomyces cerevisiae regulates sterol uptake and synthesis. This study shows that the overexpression of SUT2 promoted the expression of AOX1 and increases ergosterol content in cells. Furthermore, via truncation of the putative SUT2 promoter at diverse loci, the - 973 base pair (bp) to - 547 bp region to the ATG was shown to be the core element of the inducible promoter P_SUT2, which strongly responds to the methanol signal. The transcriptional start site of SUT2, "A" at the 22nd bp upstream of ATG, was determined with 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. A forward-loop cassette was constructed with MXR1 (Methanol Expression Regulator 1, a positive transcription factor of P_AOX1) promoted by P_SUT2, enabling moderate elevation in the expression level of Mxr1 and high activity of P_AOX1 without damaging cellular robustness further boosting the production of heterologous proteins. The P_AOX1-driven expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein in this novel system was improved by 18%, representing a promising method for extrinsic protein production. SUT2 may play roles in methanol metabolism by participating in sterol biosynthesis. P_SUT2 was characterized as a novel inducible promoter in P. pastoris and a P_SUT2-driven MXR1 forward-loop cassette was constructed to enhance the P_AOX1 activity, laying a foundation for further development and application of P. pastoris expression system.

Downregulation by organic nitrogen of AOX1 promoter used for controlled expression of foreign genes in the yeast Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is a well-established cell factory for recombinant protein synthesis. Various optimization strategies of processes based on AOX1 promoter have been investigated, including methanol co-feeding with glycerol or sorbitol during the induction stage. Compared with carbon sources, comparatively little research has been devoted to the effects of nitrogen sources. Several reports have described the benefits of adding casamino acids (CA) to the recombinant protein production medium, however, without considering its effects at the gene expression level. Using enhanced green fluorescent protein as a reporter protein, monitored using flow cytometry, CA was shown to downregulate AOX1 promoter induction. Despite higher growth rates, cultures containing CA exhibited slower transition to the induced state, whereas metabolite analysis revealed that methanol consumption was reduced in the presence of CA compared with its absence. The repressive effect of CA was further confirmed by analysing the synthesis of extracellular recombinant Candida antarctica lipase under control of the AOX1 promoter. These findings highlight nitrogen source selection as an important consideration for AOX1-based protein production.

Established and Upcoming Yeast Expression Systems

Yeast was the first microorganism used by mankind for biotransformation of feedstock that laid the foundations of industrial biotechnology. Long historical use, vast amount of data, and experience paved the way for Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a first yeast cell factory, and still it is an important expression platform as being the production host for several large volume products. Continuing special needs of each targeted product and different requirements of bioprocess operations have led to identification of different yeast expression systems. Modern bioprocess engineering and advances in omics technology, i.e., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, secretomics, and interactomics, allow the design of novel genetic tools with fine-tuned characteristics to be used for research and industrial applications. This chapter focuses on established and upcoming yeast expression platforms that have exceptional characteristics, such as the ability to utilize a broad range of carbon sources or remarkable resistance to various stress conditions. Besides the conventional yeast S. cerevisiae, established yeast expression systems including the methylotrophic yeasts Pichia pastoris and Hansenula polymorpha, the dimorphic yeasts Arxula adeninivorans and Yarrowia lipolytica, the lactose-utilizing yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and upcoming yeast platforms, namely, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Candida utilis, and Zygosaccharomyces bailii, are compiled with special emphasis on their genetic toolbox for recombinant protein production.

Pichia pastoris Promoters

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffii) is used as an expression system for recombinant protein production for a variety of applications. It grows rapidly on inexpensive media containing methanol, glucose, glycerol, or ethanol as a sole carbon source. P. pastoris makes many posttranslational modifications and produces recombinant proteins either intracellularly or extracellularly. Because of these properties, P. pastoris has become a highly preferred host organism for biotechnology, pharmaceutical industry, and researchers.Recombinant protein production is usually performed under the control of the promoter of the alcohol oxidase gene I (AOX1). The AOX1 promoter is induced by methanol and repressed by glucose and ethanol. The regulation mechanisms of the AOX1 promoter have been studied in recent years. Another promoter used in recombinant protein production is derived from glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAP). It is a constitutive promoter. Recent literature showed that newly identified promoters of P. pastoris are promising as well, in addition to pAOX1 and pGAP.In this chapter, the regulation mechanisms of inducible pAOX1 and constitutive pGAP promoters are discussed. In addition, here we present an overview about the novel ADH3 promoter and alternative promoters of P. pastoris.

Whole-cell (+)-ambrein production in the yeast Pichia pastoris

The triterpenoid (+)-ambrein is a natural precursor for (-)-ambrox, which constitutes one of the most sought-after fragrances and fixatives for the perfume industry. (+)-Ambrein is a major component of ambergris, an intestinal excretion of sperm whales that is found only serendipitously. Thus, the demand for (-)-ambrox is currently mainly met by chemical synthesis. A recent study described for the first time the applicability of an enzyme cascade consisting of two terpene cyclases, namely squalene-hopene cyclase from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius (AaSHC D377C) and tetraprenyl-β-curcumene cyclase from Bacillus megaterium (BmeTC) for in vitro (+)-ambrein production starting from squalene. Yeasts, such as Pichia pastoris, are natural producers of squalene and have already been shown in the past to be excellent hosts for the biosynthesis of hydrophobic compounds such as terpenoids. By targeting a central enzyme in the sterol biosynthesis pathway, squalene epoxidase Erg1, intracellular squalene levels in P. pastoris could be strongly enhanced. Heterologous expression of AaSHC D377C and BmeTC and, particularly, development of suitable methods to analyze all products of the engineered strain provided conclusive evidence of whole-cell (+)-ambrein production. Engineering of BmeTC led to a remarkable one-enzyme system that was by far superior to the cascade, thereby increasing (+)-ambrein levels approximately 7-fold in shake flask cultivation. Finally, upscaling to 5 L bioreactor yielded more than 100 mg L^-1 of (+)-ambrein, demonstrating that metabolically engineered yeast P. pastoris represents a valuable, whole-cell system for high-level production of (+)-ambrein.

Identification and characterization of novel promoters for recombinant protein production in yeast Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris expression system has been widely used in recombinant protein production. So far the majority of heterologous proteins are expressed by methanol inducible promoter P_AOX1 and constitutive promoter P_GAP . The use of other promoters is rather limited. Here we selected 16 potentially efficient and regulatory promoter candidates based on the RNA-seq and RNA folding free energy ΔG data. GFP and recombinant amylase were inserted after these promoters to reveal their strength and efficiency under different carbon sources and culture scales. Two novel promoters were successfully identified and could possibly be applied in recombinant protein expression: the methanol-inducible promoter P₀₅₄₇ and the constitutive promoter P₀₄₇₂ .

A novel bi-directional promoter system allows tunable recombinant protein production in Pichia pastoris

Background

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is a well-studied host organism for recombinant protein production, which is usually regulated either by a constitutive promoter (e.g. promoter of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; P_GAP) or an inducible promoter (e.g. promoter of alcohol oxidase 1; P_AOX1). Both promoter systems have several advantages and disadvantages; with one of the main disadvantages being their lack of tunability. Various novel promoter systems, which are either inducible or de-repressed, allowing higher degrees of freedom, have been reported. Recently, bi-directional promoter systems in P. pastoris with two promoter systems regulating recombinant expression of one or more genes were developed. In this study, we introduce a novel bi-directional promoter system combining a modified catalase promoter system (P_DC; derepressible and inducible) and the traditional P_AOX1, allowing tunable recombinant protein production.

Results

We characterized a recombinant P. pastoris strain, carrying the novel bi-directional promoter system, during growth and production in three dynamic bioreactor cultivations. We cloned the model enzyme cellobiohydralase downstream of either promoter and applied different feeding strategies to determine the physiological boundaries of the strain. We succeeded in demonstrating tunability of recombinant protein production solely in response to the different feeding strategies and identified a mixed feed regime allowing highest productivity.

Conclusion

In this feasibility study, we present the first controlled bioreactor experiments with a recombinant P. pastoris strain carrying a novel bi-directional promotor combination of a catalase promoter variant (P_DC) and the traditional P_AOX1. We demonstrated that this bi-directional promoter system allows tunable recombinant protein expression only in response to the available C-sources. This bi-directional promoter system offers a high degree of freedom for bioprocess design and development, making bi-directional promoters in P. pastoris highly attractive for recombinant protein production.

Recent advances in the production of recombinant subunit vaccines in Pichia pastoris

Recombinant protein subunit vaccines are formulated using defined protein antigens that can be produced in heterologous expression systems. The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has become an important host system for the production of recombinant subunit vaccines. Although many basic elements of P. pastoris expression system are now well developed, there is still room for further optimization of protein production. Codon bias, gene dosage, endoplasmic reticulum protein folding and culture condition are important considerations for improved production of recombinant vaccine antigens. Here we comment on current advances in the application of P. pastoris for the synthesis of recombinant subunit vaccines.

Recent Progress on Systems and Synthetic Biology Approaches to Engineer Fungi As Microbial Cell Factories

Filamentous fungi are remarkable organisms naturally specialized in deconstructing plant biomass and this feature has a tremendous potential for biofuel production from renewable sources. The past decades have been marked by a remarkable progress in the genetic engineering of fungi to generate industry-compatible strains needed for some biotech applications. In this sense, progress in this field has been marked by the utilization of high-throughput techniques to gain deep understanding of the molecular machinery controlling the physiology of these organisms, starting thus the Systems Biology era of fungi. Additionally, genetic engineering has been extensively applied to modify wellcharacterized promoters in order to construct new expression systems with enhanced performance under the conditions of interest. In this review, we discuss some aspects related to significant progress in the understating and engineering of fungi for biotechnological applications, with special focus on the construction of synthetic promoters and circuits in organisms relevant for industry. Different engineering approaches are shown, and their potential and limitations for the construction of complex synthetic circuits in these organisms are examined. Finally, we discuss the impact of engineered promoter architecture in the single-cell behavior of the system, an often-neglected relationship with a tremendous impact in the final performance of the process of interest. We expect to provide here some new directions to drive future research directed to the construction of high-performance, engineered fungal strains working as microbial cell factories.

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.

Production of Protein Complexes in Non-methylotrophic and Methylotrophic Yeasts : Nonmethylotrophic and Methylotrophic Yeasts

Protein complexes can be produced in multimilligram quantities using nonmethylotrophic and methylotrophic yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataella (Pichia) pastoris. Yeasts have distinct advantages as hosts for recombinant protein production owing to their cost efficiency, ease of cultivation and genetic manipulation, fast growth rates, capacity to introduce post-translational modifications, and high protein productivity (yield) of correctly folded protein products. Despite those advantages, yeasts have surprisingly lagged behind other eukaryotic hosts in their use for the production of multisubunit complexes. As our knowledge of the metabolic and genomic bottlenecks that yeast microorganisms face when overexpressing foreign proteins expands, new possibilities emerge for successfully engineering yeasts as superb expression hosts. In this chapter, we describe the current state of the art and discuss future possibilities for the development of yeast-based systems for the production of protein complexes.

Cloning and expression of recombinant human GMCSF from Pichia pastoris GS115--a progressive strategy for economic production

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hGMCSF) is a proinflammatory cytokine and hematopoietic growth factor. Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGMCSF) serves as a biotherapeutic agent in bone marrow stimulations, vaccine development, gene therapy approaches, and stem cell mobilization. The objective of the present study includes construction of rhGMCSF having N-terminal intein tag, expression of protein both extracellularly and intracellularly from yeast expression system followed by its purification in a single step by affinity chromatography. The soluble and biologically active rhGMCSF was obtained from Pichia pastoris GS115. About 122 g DCW/L of final yield was obtained for both cytosolic and secretory expression of Pichia GS115 strain. Purified intracellular hGMCSF was 420 mg/L with a specific activity of 2.1×10⁸ IU/mg, and the purified extracellular recombinant protein was 360 mg/L with a specific activity of 1.9×10⁸ IU/mg. The data presented here indicate the possibilities of exploring the economic ways of producing the rhGMCSF.

Extracellular expression of alkaline phytase in Pichia pastoris: Influence of signal peptides, promoters and growth medium

Alkaline phytase isolated from pollen grains of Lilium longiflorum (LlALP) possesses unique catalytic and thermal stability properties that suggest it has the potential to be used as a feed supplement. However, substantial amounts of active enzymes are needed for animal feed studies and endogenous levels of LlALP in lily pollen are too low to provide the required amounts. Active rLlALP2 (coded by LlAlp2, one of two isoforms of alkaline phytase cDNA identified in lily pollen) has been successfully expressed in intracellular compartments of Pichia pastoris, however enzyme yields have been modest (25–30 mg/L) and purification of the enzyme has been challenging. Expression of foreign proteins to the extracellular medium of P. pastoris greatly simplifies protein purification because low levels of endogenous proteins are secreted by the yeast. In this paper, we first describe the generation of P. pastoris strains that will secrete rLlALP2 to the extracellular medium. Data presented here indicates that deletion of native signal peptides at the N- and C-termini of rLlALP2 enhanced α-mating factor (α-MF)-driven secretion by four-fold; chicken egg white lysozyme signal peptide was ineffective in the extracellular secretion of rLlALP2. Second, we describe our efforts to increase expression levels by employing a constitutive promoter from the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (P_GAP) in place of the strong, tightly controlled promoter of alcohol oxidase 1 gene (P_AOX1). P_GAP enhanced the extracellular expression levels of rLlALP2 compared to P_AOX1. Finally, we report on the optimization of the culture medium to enhance yields of rLlALP2. The strength of P_GAP varies depending on the carbon source available for cell growth; secreted expression of rLlALP2 was highest when glycerol was the carbon source. The addition of histidine and Triton X-100 also enhanced extracellular expression. Taken together, the employment of P_GAP under optimized culture conditions resulted in approximately eight-fold (75–80 mg/L) increase in extracellular activity compared to P_AOXI (8–10 mg/L). The P. pastoris expression system can be employed as a source of active alkaline phytase for animal feed studies.

Pichia pastoris regulates its gene-specific response to different carbon sources at the transcriptional, rather than the translational, level

Background

The methylotrophic, Crabtree-negative yeast Pichia pastoris is widely used as a heterologous protein production host. Strong inducible promoters derived from methanol utilization genes or constitutive glycolytic promoters are typically used to drive gene expression. Notably, genes involved in methanol utilization are not only repressed by the presence of glucose, but also by glycerol. This unusual regulatory behavior prompted us to study the regulation of carbon substrate utilization in different bioprocess conditions on a genome wide scale.

Results

We performed microarray analysis on the total mRNA population as well as mRNA that had been fractionated according to ribosome occupancy. Translationally quiescent mRNAs were defined as being associated with single ribosomes (monosomes) and highly-translated mRNAs with multiple ribosomes (polysomes). We found that despite their lower growth rates, global translation was most active in methanol-grown P. pastoris cells, followed by excess glycerol- or glucose-grown cells. Transcript-specific translational responses were found to be minimal, while extensive transcriptional regulation was observed for cells grown on different carbon sources. Due to their respiratory metabolism, cells grown in excess glucose or glycerol had very similar expression profiles. Genes subject to glucose repression were mainly involved in the metabolism of alternative carbon sources including the control of glycerol uptake and metabolism. Peroxisomal and methanol utilization genes were confirmed to be subject to carbon substrate repression in excess glucose or glycerol, but were found to be strongly de-repressed in limiting glucose-conditions (as are often applied in fed batch cultivations) in addition to induction by methanol.

Conclusions

P. pastoris cells grown in excess glycerol or glucose have similar transcript profiles in contrast to S. cerevisiae cells, in which the transcriptional response to these carbon sources is very different. The main response to different growth conditions in P. pastoris is transcriptional; translational regulation was not transcript-specific. The high proportion of mRNAs associated with polysomes in methanol-grown cells is a major finding of this study; it reveals that high productivity during methanol induction is directly linked to the growth condition and not only to promoter strength.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1393-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Efficient secretion of inulin fructotransferase in Pichia pastoris using the formaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 promoter

Inulin fructotransferase (IFTase) has received considerable attention due to its ability to catalyse inulin hydrolysis to difructose anhydride (DFA III), a natural low-calorie functional sweetener. In the present study, for the first time, we describe the expression of IFTase in Pichia pastoris under the control of the formaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 promoter (PFLD1). Using this system, we achieved efficient secretion with four substrate fed-batch strategies in a 3-L fermenter. The co-feeding induction strategy with methylamine hydrochloride and methanol achieved the maximum extracellular IFTase activity of 62.72 U mL−1, which was 3.2-fold higher than that obtained with the wild-type strain. In addition to methanol, carbon sources such as glucose and glycerol could also be utilised by PFLD1-controlled P. pastoris for IFTase production using methylamine hydrochloride induction. However, we found that glycerol and glucose should be strictly controlled at low concentrations of 0.5–1.5 % (v/v) and 1–1.5 % (w/v), respectively. The use of glycerol and glucose demonstrated that P. pastoris was also attractive for IFTase production via methanol-free cultivation strategies. This study may provide the basis for the industrial use of this recombinant IFTase for the production of DFA III.

Protein expression in Pichia pastoris: recent achievements and perspectives for heterologous protein production

Pichia pastoris is an established protein expression host mainly applied for the production of biopharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes. This methylotrophic yeast is a distinguished production system for its growth to very high cell densities, for the available strong and tightly regulated promoters, and for the options to produce gram amounts of recombinant protein per litre of culture both intracellularly and in secretory fashion. However, not every protein of interest is produced in or secreted by P. pastoris to such high titres. Frequently, protein yields are clearly lower, particularly if complex proteins are expressed that are hetero-oligomers, membrane-attached or prone to proteolytic degradation. The last few years have been particularly fruitful because of numerous activities in improving the expression of such complex proteins with a focus on either protein engineering or on engineering the protein expression host P. pastoris. This review refers to established tools in protein expression in P. pastoris and highlights novel developments in the areas of expression vector design, host strain engineering and screening for high-level expression strains. Breakthroughs in membrane protein expression are discussed alongside numerous commercial applications of P. pastoris derived proteins.

Strains and molecular tools for recombinant protein production in Pichia pastoris

Within the last two decades, the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has become an important alternative to E. coli or mammalian cell lines for the production of recombinant proteins. Easy handling, strong promoters, and high cell density cultivations as well as the capability of posttranslational modifications are some of the major benefits of this yeast. The high secretion capacity and low level of endogenously secreted proteins further promoted the rapid development of a versatile Pichia pastoris toolbox. This chapter reviews common and new "Pichia tools" and their specific features. Special focus is given to expression strains, such as different methanol utilization, protease-deficient or glycoengineered strains, combined with application highlights. Different promoters and signal sequences are also discussed.

Identification and characterization of P GCW14 : a novel, strong constitutive promoter of Pichia pastoris

The available promoters in the Pichia pastoris expression platform are still limited. We selected and identified a novel strong constitutive promoter, P GCW14 , and tested its promoter activity using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as a reporter. Potential promoter regions of P GCW14 were cloned upstream of the EGFP gene and promoter activity was analyzed by measuring fluorescence intensity. P GCW14 exhibited significantly stronger promoter activity than the classic strong constitutive promoters P TEF1 and P GAP under various carbon sources, suggesting that P GCW14 is a strong and constitutive promoter. Hence, P GCW14 can be used as a promoter for high-level expression of heterologous proteins.

Pichia pastoris: protein production host and model organism for biomedical research

Pichia pastoris is the most frequently used yeast system for heterologous protein production today. The last few years have seen several products based on this platform reach approval as biopharmaceutical drugs. Successful glycoengineering to humanize N-glycans is further fuelling this development. However, detailed understanding of the yeast’s physiology, genetics and regulation has only developed rapidly in the last few years since published genome sequences have become available. An expanding toolbox of genetic elements and strains for the improvement of protein production is being generated, including promoters, gene copy-number enhancement, gene knockout and high-throughput methods. Protein folding and secretion have been identified as significant bottlenecks in yeast expression systems, pinpointing a major target for strain optimization. At the same time, it has become obvious that P. pastoris, as an evolutionarily more ‘ancient’ yeast, may in some cases be a better model for human cell biology and disease than Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Induction without methanol: novel regulated promoters enable high-level expression in Pichia pastoris

Background

Inducible high-level expression is favoured for recombinant protein production in Pichia pastoris. Therefore, novel regulated promoters are desired, ideally repressing heterologous gene expression during initial growth and enabling it in the production phase. In a typical large scale fed-batch culture repression is desired during the batch phase where cells grow on a surplus of e.g. glycerol, while heterologous gene expression should be active in the feed phase under carbon (e.g. glucose) limitation.

Results

DNA microarray analysis of P. pastoris wild type cells growing in glycerol-based batch and glucose-based fed batch was used for the identification of genes with both, strong repression on glycerol and high-level expression in the feed phase. Six novel glucose-limit inducible promoters were successfully applied to express the intracellular reporter eGFP. The highest expression levels together with strong repression in pre-culture were achieved with the novel promoters P_G1 and P_G6.

Human serum albumin (HSA) was used to characterize the promoters with an industrially relevant secreted protein. A P_G1 clone with two gene copies reached about 230% of the biomass specific HSA titer in glucose-based fed batch fermentation compared to a P_GAP clone with identical gene copy number, while P_G6 only achieved 39%. Two clones each carrying eleven gene copies, expressing HSA under control of P_G1 and P_G6 respectively were generated by post-transformational vector amplification. They produced about 1.0 and 0.7 g L^-1 HSA respectively in equal fed batch processes. The suitability in production processes was also verified with HyHEL antibody Fab fragment for P_G1 and with porcine carboxypeptidase B for P_G6. Moreover, the molecular function of the gene under the control of P_G1 was determined to encode a high-affinity glucose transporter and named GTH1.

Conclusions

A set of novel regulated promoters, enabling induction without methanol, was successfully identified by using DNA microarrays and shown to be suitable for high level expression of recombinant proteins in glucose-based protein production processes.

Preparation of Pichia pastoris expression plasmids

When planning any heterologous expression experiment, the very first critical step is related to the design of the overall strategy, hence to the selection of the most adapted expression vector. The very flexible Pichia pastoris system offers a broad range of possibilities for the production of secreted, endogenous or membrane proteins thanks to a combination of various plasmid backbones, selection markers, promoters and fusion sequences introduced into dedicated host strains. The present chapter provides some guidelines on the choice of expression vectors and expression strategies. It also brings the reader a complete toolbox from which plasmids and fusion sequences can be picked and assembled to set up appropriate expression vectors. Finally, it provides standard starting protocols for the preparation of the selected plasmids and their use for host strain transformation.