Secreted Expression of S-adenosy-L-methionine Synthetase in Pichia pastoris

[Objective] The research aimed to study the secreted expression of S-edenosyl-L-methionine synthetase （SAMS） in Pichia pastoris. Method ] The gene coding SAMS, from the genomic DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was amplified by PCR and inserted into the secreted expression vector pPIC9K to get recombinant plasmid. The recombinant plasmid pPIC9K-sarr~ was integrated into Pichia pastoris GSl15 genome by electroporation and induced by methanol. The activity of the recombinant enzyme was measured using high-pedormance liquid chroma- tography （HPLC） by determining the production of S-adenosy-L-methionine （SAM） with the enzyme secreted. [ ResultJ The molecular weight of the expression protein identified by SDS-PAGE was about 50 kD, being larger than the theoretical molecular mass of SAMS, which might be due to the glycosytation in the process of secretion. Methanol-induction as well as preliminary purification could enhance the enzyme activity, espe- cially the latter, after which the specific activity of SAMS was improved to 61.48 U/rng. [Conclusion] SAMS with biological activity was secreted successfully in Pichia pastoris GSl15 for the first time. And it is the start for the genetic engineering strains to open up prospects for industrial production.

Secretory Expression of Mycoplasma hyopneu-moniae P97R1 Gene in Pichia pastoris and Primary Application of the Expression Product

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the secretory expression of P97R1 gene of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae（Mhp） in Pichia pastoris expression system and the primary application; of the expression product. [Method] A pair of specific primers was designed to conduct PCR according to the Mhp P97R1 gene sequence in Genbank, and the amplified P97R1 gene was cloned into the pPICZa-A yeast expression vector to construct the secretory recombinant expression vector pPICZa-A-P97R1. The plasmid pPICZa-A-p97R1 linearized by Sac I was transformed into P. pastoris GSl15 by electroporation. Positive transformant identified by PCR was incubated to express P97R1 protein after methanol induction. And the expression product was identified using SDS-PAGE and Western-blotting anal.wsis. [Result] P97R1 protein was successfully expressed in the P. pastoris system, with a secre- tory amount of 499μg/ml, and revealed good reactogenicity. Meanwhile, an indirect ELISA method was established with P97R1 protein after the optimization of each reaction factor, which showed good specificity and repeatability according to repeated tests. [Conclusion] This study provides bases for developing the ELISA Kit for anti- body detection and genetically engineered vaccine to Mhp.

Expression and Purification of Arabidopsis High Mobility Group B Protein Gene At2G34450 in Pichia pastoris

[Objective] The aim was to study the expression of Arabidopsis gene A/2G34450 in Pichia pastoris and to obtain recombinant Arabidopsis HMGB protein. [Method] The At2G34450 gene was cloned into yeast expression vector pPIC9K containing AOXl promoter and the sequences of secreting α-signal peptides. Recombinant plasmid was linearized by Sal l and transformed into P. pastoris GSl15 competent cells by electroporation. Positive integrated clones were screened out, and the At2G34450 protein was expressed under the induction of methanol. [Result] The At2G34450 protein was expressed in yeast medium through methanol induction. SDS-PAGE results showed that recombination product was At2G34450 protein. [Conclusion] At2G34450 protein was successfully expressed in the P. pastoris system for the first time, which paves a direct path to further research on the functions of HMGB family members.

Induction and expression of T4 lysozyme gene in Pichia pastoris

Aim To induce and express the T4 lysozyme in Pichia pastoris and test the antibacterial activity of the protein. Methods T4 lysozyme gene was inserted into expression vector pPIC9K of Pichia pastoris with the fusion at N terminal. The recombinant plasmid was digested by Sal I and then introduced into prepared GS115 competent cells by electroporation. Positive clone and multiple inserts were screened. The secreted proteins in the supernatants were tested. In the agar holes diffusion assay, our expressed protein showed significant antibacterial circles. Results T4 lysozyme protein inhibited the growth of staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus Pneumoniae. There was no difference in the bactericidal activity and the amount of protein expression between the single and multiple copies. The antibacterial activity of expressed protein remained the same during the heat stability test. Conclusion T4 lysozyme was successfully induced and expressed in Pichia pastoris. There is no relationship between copy number and expression. T4 lysozyme protein is heat stable.

Expression and Characterization of a Thermostable Xylanase Gene xynA from a Themophilic Fungus in Pichia pastoris

The gene of xylanase （xynA） was amplified by RT-PCR from the total RNA of a themophilic fungus Thermomyces lanuginosus SY2. The sequence analysis showed that gene coding region of mature peptide contained 0.585 kb, which coded 194 amino acids. The putative amino acid sequence and DNA sequence of xylanase from T. lanuginosus SY2 （GenBank no.： GU166389） were 98.97 and 99.49% identical to the other T. lanuginosus （GenBank no.： U35436）. A recombinant plasmid pPIC9K-xynA was constructed by inserting gene xynA into Pichia pastoris secretory vector pPIC9K. Linearized pPIC9K-xynA was transformed into P. pastoris GS115 with the method of electroporation. The recombinant strain was identified by G418 selection and confirmed by PCR analysis. It was induced by 1.0% methanol at 28°C to express the recombinant xylanase. The results showed that the recombinant xylanase was secreted into extracellular fermentation liquid. The highest enzyme activity of 113.5 IU mL-1 and protein content of 889.7 μg mL-1 were detected for 216 h of induction. The optimal pH value and temperature of the enzyme activity was 5.5 and 65°C, respectively. The xylanase activity retained above 80% from pH value 2.5 to 8.5 for 48 h. The enzyme activity was above 85% at incubation temperature of 55°C.

Expression of Recombinant Human Lysozyme-tachyplesin I(hLYZ-TP I)in Pichia Pastoris and Analysis of Antibacterial Activity

Antimicrobial peptides （AMPs） are making headlines in science because they demonstrate superior microbicidal characteristics compared to synthetic and semi-synthetic antibiotics.

High-level expression and purification of Plutella xylostella acetylcholinesterase in Pichia pastoris and its potential application

The acetylcholinesterase 2（AChE2）cloned from Plutella xylostella was first successfully expressed in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris GS115.One transformant with high-level expression of the recombinant AChE（rAChE,23.2 U mL-1in supernatant）was selected by plating on increasing concentrations of antibiotic G418 and by using a simple and specific chromogenic reaction with indoxyl acetate as a substrate.The maximum production of r ACh E reached about 11.8 mg of the enzyme protein per liter of culture.The r ACh E was first precipitated with ammonium sulfate（50%saturation）and then purified with procainamide affinity column chromatography.The enzyme was purified 12.1-fold with a yield of 22.8%and a high specific activity of 448.3 U mg-1.It was sensitive to inhibition by methamidophos and pirimicarb,the calculated 50% inhibitory concentration（IC50）values of the two pesticides were 0.357 and 0.888 mg L-1,respectively,and the calculated 70% inhibitory concentration（IC70）values were 0.521 and 0.839 mg L-1,respectively.The results suggested that it has a potential application in the detection of pesticide residues.

Secretive Expression of Insect Antifungal Peptide-Encoded Genes in Pichia pastoris and Activity Assay of the Products

The antifungal peptides, drosomycin （Drs） and its isoform drosomycin-like C （Drs-lC） from Drosophila melanogaster and Thanatin from Podisus maculiventris, have potent activity with broad spectrum against filamentous fungi. Secretive expression of these genes in yeasts makes it possible to utilize the supernatants of yeast culture as protective reagents on fruit, vegetable, food and other agricultural products. So the study of effective secretion by yeast expression system is of great importance. Three genes, Drs, Drs-lC, and Thanatin, were cloned into pPICZαA and the recombinant vectors, pPICZαA-Drs, pPICZαA-Drs-lC, and pPICZαA-Thanatin were transformed into Pichia pastoris by the electric transfer method. The recombinant P. pastoris, which was screened by phenotype selection and PCR amplification, was induced to express antifungal peptide by methanol. The expressive products of the three recombinants showed antifungal activity against 5 out of 6 test fungi strains, and the products of Thanatin also had strong activity against the tested bacteria. The three antifungal peptide genes, Drs, Drs-lC, and Thanatin, were constructed into yeast P. pastoris. The expressed peptides were successfully secreted into the culture medium and exhibited potent activities against the test strains.

Expression and Characterization of HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein in Pichia Pastoris

To obtain a sufficient amount of glycoprotein for further studying the structure and function of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein, amplified and modified HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gene which recombined subtypes（850 amino acids） from Guangxi in China was inserted into Pichia pastoris expression vector pPICZαB; then the recombinant plasmid was transported into the yeast cells to induce the expression of Env protein with methanol. The results of SDS-PAGE and Western blot indicate that the envelope glycoprotein could be expressed in Pichia pastoris with productions of a 120000 glycoprotein and a 41000 glycoprotein, which showed satisfactory immunogenicity by indirect ELISA.

Secretory expression and characterization of a recombinant-deleted variant of human hepatocyte growth factor in Pichia pastoris

AIM： To study the secretory expression of human hepatocyte growth factor （hdHGF） gene in Pichia pastoris. METHODS： The full-length gene of human cDNA encoding the deleted variant of hdHGF was cloned by RT-PCR and overlapping-fragment PCR technique using mRNA of human placenta as a template. The cloned hdHGF cDNA was inserted into the Escherichia coilyeast shuttle vector of pPIC9. The constructed plasmid, pPIC9-hdHGF, was transformed into the GSl15 cells of the methylotrophic yeast, P pastoris, using a chemical method. The Hut ＋ transformants were screened to obtain high-expression strains by the test and analysis of expressed products of shake-flask culture. A secretory form of rhdHGF was made with the aid of the leader peptide sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-factor. RESULTS： The expressed products, which showed a band of molecular mass of about 80 ku, were observed on 15% SDS-PAGE and identified by Western blotting and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. In the high cell density culture of 5 L fermentor by fed-batch culture protocol, the cell biomass was reached at approximately 135 g （DCW）/L. The productivity of secreted total supernant protein concentration attained a high-level expression of more than 8.0 g/L and the ratio of rhdHGF band area was about 12.3% of the total band area scanned by SDS-PAGE analysis, which estimated that the product of rhdHGF was 500-900 mg/L.CONCLUSION： The P pastoris system represents an attractive tool of generating large quantities of hdHGF for both research and industrial purposes.

Constitutive and Secretory Expression of the AiiA in Pichia pastoris Inhibits Amorphophallus konjac Soft Rot Disease

Amorphophallus konjac is an important economic crop widely cultivated in Southeast Asia and Africa. However, A. konjac is seriously infected by soft rot pathogen. The endocellular acyl homoserine lactonase (AiiA) which is generated by Bacillus species has inhibitory effect on soft rot pathogen through disrupting the signal molecules (N-acylhomoserine lactones, AHL) of their Quorum Sensing system. The aim of our study is to obtain recombinant yeast which produces AiiA protein. The recombinant yeast Pichia pastoris GS115 was constructed to constitutive expression of the AiiA gene. The results of reverse transcript PCR analysis showed that the AiiA gene was expressed successfully in the yeast. Proteins extracted from YPDS showed the highest inhibition efficacy to E. carotovora compared with the other two mediums (YPD and LB) under tested conditions.

High-yield expression of recombinant mouse coagulation factor Ⅶ in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

Objective: To explore high-yield secretory expression of recombinant mouse coagulation factor Ⅶ (rmF Ⅶ ) protein in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). Methods: The fragment of mF Ⅶ cDNA was amplified by PCR from a pcDNA3-mFⅦ plasmid. Then the cDNA fragment was subcloned into α-factor secretion signal open reading frame of pPIC9K secretory expression vector. The mutagenesis of mF Ⅶ was performed by Site-Direct Mutation and then verified by DNA sequencing. The yeast expression vector of rmF Ⅶ, named as pPIC9K-rmFⅦ, was linearized with Sac I and transferred into GS115 strains(his-Mut+)by electroporation. The recombinants were identified by direct PCR and selection on MM and MD plates. rmF Ⅶ was expressed in recombinant strains (his+Mut+) for 4 d. The expression level and activation of rmF Ⅶ in the BMMY medium were detected by SDS-PAGE and Western blot respectively. Results:pPIC9K-rmFⅦ was constructed and transferred to GS115 strains successfully. 48-hour post induction by methanol rmFⅦ protein was secreted into the culture supernatant. The molecular weight of the expressed products was shown to be about 46 kD by SDS-PAGE analysis. Western blot showed that the expressed rmF Ⅶ exhibited specificity and antigenicity. Conclusion: Since mFⅦ is considered as a tumor-targeting molecule , this study may provide a basis for further anti-tumor strategy on rmFⅦ.

Codon Optimization of SMAP-29 Gene and Its Expression in Pichia pastoris

[ Objective] This study aimed to optimize the cedon of antimicrobial peptide SMAP-29 gene and express SMAP-29 in Pichia pastoris. [ Method] Ac- cording to the published amino acid sequence of SMAP-29, a gene encoding SMAP-29 （sheep myeloid antibacterial peptides-29） mature peptide was synthesized and was biased codon usage of Pichia pastoris. The synthesized gene was inserted into Pichia pastoris expression vector pPIC3.5K, transformed into Pichia pastoris strain GSll5 by electmporation, and screened with G418 for high-copy recombinants. The methanol utility plus phenotype （Mut ＋ ） was selected with MM, MD and PCR. The correctly constructed recombinant strain was induced with methanol. Expression of SMAP-29 was analyzed by lysing the induced yeast cells with Tricine- SDS-PAGE. [ Result] After induced with methanol for 2 d, a 3.2 kD induced band was detected in the cell lysate which was consistent to the predicted molecular weight of SMAP-29 ; the expression products purified with gel filtration chromatography showed significant antibacterial effect against Staphyloccocus aureus and Mo- nilia albican but no significant antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli. [ Conclusion] This study laid the foundation for the application of SMAP-29 in biomedi- cine, agriculture and other fields.

Construction and Expression of Serratia Marcescens ECU1010 Lipase （lipA） in Pichia Pastoris

Serratia marcescens ECUI010, as an extracellular lipase and a significant catalyst, which had been widely employed to catalyze various chemical reactions such as non-specific, stereo-specific hydrolysis and esterification for industrial biocatalytic applications, was previously mostly expressed intracellularly as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. Denaturation and renaturation of inclusion bodies had a significant influence on the lipase activity. Thereupon, our present work described the secretion expression of gene encoding of this lipase in Pichia pastoris GS 115 and characterization of the recombinant enzyme. Firstly, the obtained lipA gene fragment was introduced into P. pastoris expression vector pPIC9K, the lipA gene without its signal sequence were cloned downstream to the alpha-mating factor signal and expressed in P. pastoris GS115 under the control of AOXI promoter, and the recombinant plasmid pPIC9K-lipA was transformed into P. pastoris strain GS115 by electroporation, and this recombinant P. pastoris were identified by PCR. Then lipase activity was detected on BMMY-tributyrin and olive oil agar plates containing Rhodamine B. Transformants with lipase activity by screening were induced 6 days by methanol, one band of 77 kDa protein could be observed by 10% SDS-PAGE. p-nitrophenyl esters of fatty acids were used as the substrates in an automated activity assay of liquid culture media. The pH and temperature optimum of lipase were pH 8.5 and 40℃ respectively. The stability and effects of metal ions and other reagents were also determined. However, the recombinant fusion intended for secretion was efficiently secreted in a percentage of close to 90% and remained stable even in rich medium at high cell density cultures, yielding values of over 4 U of lipase activity per milliliter of culture media supernatant.

Development of two methods for rapid screening of recombinant Pichia pastoris strains with high-level expression of β-mannanase

The yeast Pichia pastoris(P. pastoris) has been used for the expression of heterologous proteins with the significant success. However, it is time-consuming to screen the high expression level of the recombinant P. pastoris directly. Thus, for β-mannanase production, developing the accurate, rapid and inexpensive screening method to substitute random screening is certainly required. A simple method based on the size of hydrolysis hole was described here, but this method was not very accurate that could only be used in preliminary screening. To further improve the accuracy, a micro-plate screening method is established, which appears to be more accurate and effective. The efficiency of this screening method is about 10 times higher than that of the general screening strategy of cultivation in shaking flasks. Two methods presented here can also be used for screening of recombinant Pichia strains with high-level expression of other heterologous protein after modification.

Heterologous Expression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ag85B in Pichia pastoris

The DNA fragment encoding mature Mycobacterium tuberculosis major secretory protein Ag85B was inserted into the Pichia pastoris secretory expression vector pHBM905A, under the control of the AOX1 promoter. The recombinant plasmid pHBM905A-85B linearized by Sal I was introduced into Pichia pastoris strain GS115 by PEG1000 transformation method. After phenotype screening and PCR identification, the resulting GS115-pHBM905A-85B strain was cultivated and induced with methanol. The recombinant Ag85B protein in secreted form was attained with molecular weight of 35 × 10^3 approximately detected by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. EI,ISA experiment proved that the protein had good antigen specificity. Secretory expression of recombinant M. tuberculosis Ag85B in P. pastoris will open a door to mass production of the protein in heterologous host and allow ready evaluation of its immunological function.

Expression and Activities Experiment of DNA Transduction Motif Based on GAL4 in Pichia Pastoris

The genes encoding DNA-binding domain（BD） designed based on the yeast transcriptional activator GAL4 and protein transduction domain of HIV-1 Tat protein were fused via soft linker peptide sequence, and cloned into yeast expression vector pPIC9k. The resulted plasmid pTG was linearized and transfected into Pichia pastoris strains GS 115 by electroporation. High copies of transformants were obtained with Muts and HIS＋ phenotype identi- fication, PCR amplification and screening of G418. After flask culture and expression induced by methanol, the target protein named TG was well expressed and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Under optimized conditions, the yield of soluble recombinant protein was approximately 39.7 mg/L. DNA binding activity and cell transduction property of TG were analyzed by gel eleetrophoresis and fluorescent microscopy. The results show that the recombinant protein could bind strongly to the plasmid containing upstream activating sequence（UAS）. The cell experiments revealed that TG could deliver the binding plasmid into HEK-293 cells effectively. In summary, the work presented here suggests that TG is specific toward UAS containing plasmid and has the potential for use as nonviral DNA delivery agent.

Expression and Characterization of HGV E2 cDNA in Pichia pastoris

A 559 base pair fragment of cDNA locating at the putative E2 region of GBV-C/HGV was inserted intoPichia pastoris expression vector pPIC9K in the reading frame of α-factor secreting signal peptide. The recombinant expression plasmid pPIC9K-E2 was introduced intoP. pastoris GS 115 with electroporation and recombined with the host genome by homological recombination. The His+Mut+ recombinant yeasts were selected and cultivated in the BMMY medium. After 3 days induction with 0.5% methanol, the target protein (E2) accumulated up to 30% of total proteins in the supernatant. The expressed E2 protein was proved possessing antigenicity and high specificity with Western blot and ELISA probed with sera from the immunized rabbits and the patients infected by GBV-C/HGV.

Expression of ChIFN-α in Pichia pastoris and Optimization of Its Expression Condition

Because yeast codon preferred to synthesize the gene sequence of ChIFN-α mature peptide, Pichia pastoris expression system was connected into vector pPICgK, to construct recombinant plasmid pPIC9K-α. After digestion and linearization, the recombinant vector was cloned into P. pastor/s GS115, high copy transformant and its methanol utilization type were screened, and its expression conditions were optimized. The results showed that ChlFN-α successfully expressed in P. pastor/s, the expression amount of recombinant protein was the largest after induced expression in 0.5 % methanol containing 2% acid hydrolyzed casein at 28 ℃ for 72 h, and its antiviral activity was the highest.

Fusion Expression of Glucoamylase and Xylanase in Pichia pastoris

Employing RT-PCR amplification method, the mature pepfide coding sequence of glucoamylase （amyA） gene was amplified from total RNA of Talaro- myces emersonii and the xylanase （xyrut） gene from genomic DNA ofPaenibacillus sp. H10-3. The result showed that the mature peptide sequence of amyA is 1857 bp long and encodes 618 amino acids; and the mature peptide sequence of xynA is 636 bp long and encodes 211 amino acids. Then these two genes were spliced by overlap extension PCR （ SOE-PCR）, yielding fusion gene amyA-l-xynA. The fusion gene amyA-l-xynA was then cloned into a Pichia pastoris expression vector pPIC9 to produce the recombinant expression plasmid pPIC9-amyA-l-xynA. The recombinant plasmid pPICg-amyA-l-xynA was linearized and transformed into Pichia pastoris GSll5 via electric shock, yielding engineering strain ALX2. The maximum yields of glucoamylase and xylanase in ALX2 fermentation supernatant were determined as 10.7 and 51.8 U/ml, respectively.