Expression of Highly Active Bacterial Phospholipase A2 in Yeast Using Intein-Mediated Delayed Protein Autoactivation.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) has found extensive use in industry. However, recombinant PLA2 production in different expression systems is a difficult task because of its toxicity to cell membranes. We report here the development of an effective method for production of highly active PLA2 from Streptomyces violaceoruber strain A-2688 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The method is based on the use of the PRP8 mini-intein (from Penicillium chrysogenum) inserted into the phospholipase sequence with the purpose of temporal inactivation of the enzyme and its subsequent delayed autoactivation. We demonstrate that the most effective site for intein insertion is Ser76 of the mature phospholipase. As a result of intein-containing precursor secretion from yeast cells and its subsequent autocatalytic splicing, highly active enzyme accumulated in the yeast culture fluid. The properties of the obtained recombinant phospholipase A2 protein were similar to those of the native Streptomyces violaceoruber PLA2 protein. A possible evolutionary role of delayed autoactivation of intein-containing proteins is also discussed.

The Modified Heparin-Binding L-Asparaginase of Wolinella succinogenes.

The modified asparaginase Was79 was derived from the recombinant wild-type L-asparaginase of Wolinella succinogenes. The Was79 contains the amino acid substitutions V23Q and K24T responsible for the resistance to trypsinolysis and the N-terminal heparin-binding peptide KRKKKGKGLGKKR responsible for the binding to heparin and tumor K562 cells in vitro. When tested on a mouse model of Fischer lymphadenosis L5178Y, therapeutic efficacy of Was79 was significantly higher than that of reference enzymes at all single therapeutic doses used (125-8000 IU/kg). At Was79 single doses of 500-8000 IU/kg, the complete remission rate of 100 % was observed. The Was79 variant can be expressed intracellularly in E. coli as a less immunogenic formyl-methionine-free form at high per cell production levels.

[Coregulation of alternative transcripts of the STA2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae]. / Koreguliatsiia al'ternativnykh transkriptov gena STA2 drozhzhei Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

It is known that upon STA2 gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, two transcripts of different lengths are formed. These fragments contain different start codons of translation (AUG1 and AUG2) located in the same reading frame. The ratio between expression levels of proteins translated from AUG1 and AUG2 was invariably about 2:7 and did not depend on the choice of the reporter product (secreted glucoamylase (GA) or beta-galactosidase accumulated in cells). Neither this ratio depended on glucose repression/derepression. Based on the assumed proportional relationship between levels of transcription and translation of the STA2 gene in yeast cells, all these results cumulatively indicate that the two STA2 transcripts are coregulated. The production of secreted GA was also shown to be markedly stimulated at the posttranscriptional level under conditions of glucose repression.

Inulase-secreting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces fructose.

The gene encoding inulase of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus (INU1Km) was cloned and expressed in the inulin-negative yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cells of S. cerevisiae transformed with the INU1Km gene have acquired extracellular inulase activity and were able to grow in the medium with inulin as a sole carbon source. The S. cerevisiae strain was constructed that is capable of heterologous expression of secreted K. marxianus inulase and is defective in fructose uptake due to null-mutations of the hexokinase structural genes HXK1 and HXK2. When grown in inulin-containing media, this strain is capable of accumulating at least 10% glucose-free fructose in the culture liquid.

Host cell properties and external pH affect proinsulin production by Saccharomyces yeast.

The expression of a hybrid gene encoding an alpha-factor prepro leader peptide-miniproinsulin (MPI) fusion [MPI is the same as the LysArg human insulin precursor described by Thim et al. (1986)] was tested in a series of isogenic yeast strains to investigate the influence of some genetic and physiological factors on heterologous production in yeast. We found that: (i) an MF alpha 1 gene disruption in haploid cells, as well as MF alpha 1 gene product expression in diploid cells, do not affect the MPI secretion level; (ii) under conditions of exogenous leucine availability, MPI production is hindered by leucine auxotrophy (a leu2 mutation); (iii) rho- mutations increase the per-cell MPI yield approximately three-fold; (iv) the MPI yield is apparently dependent on the pH of the culture medium: the higher the external pH, the larger the per-cell MPI yield.

A strategy for construction of industrial strains of distiller's yeast.

A procedure was developed for construction of industrial strains of distiller's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). It includes several steps: construction of congenic genetically marked haploid strains of opposite mating types starting from an industrial strain of hybrid nature, integrative transformation of the above haploid strains with a DNA fragment containing an expression cassette responsible for new technological facilities, and hybridization of transformants and isolation of final industrial homozygous strains under experimental conditions simulating commercial fermentation processes. This strategy permits the generation of strains that have desirable characteristics of traditional races of distiller's yeast along with new technological facilities determined by the particular expression cassette. Using this procedure, we have constructed an industrial strain with improved amylolytic activity. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Genetic control of cell type and complex organization of the mating type locus in the yeast Pichia pinus.

Genetic mechanisms of switching the mating type locus MAT1 in the homothallic yeast Pichia pinus were studied. By analysis of mutations affecting MAT1 complex structural and functional organization of this locus was shown. The existence of two functional regions in MAT1 is postulated. Region I controls mating ability of haploid cells, determines the neutrality of heterozygous cells and regulates the work of Region II. Region II controls meiosis and/or sporulation in the cultures heterozygous for Region I as well as controls switching MAT1 ⇋ MAT1α in haploid cells.

[Inactivating effect of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine on yeasts with different ploidies]. / Inaktiviruiushchee deistvie N-metil-N'-nitro-Nitrozoguanidina na drozhzhi raznoi ploidnosti.

Haploid and diploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sacch. ellipsoideus and Pichia pinus were studied. Differences in N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) sensitivity were detected both between haploids and diploids of the same species and between the corresponding strains of different species. Survival curves after MNNG treatment of all strains irrespectively of ploidy were exponential with "a tail". All the strains also exhibited the delayed appearance of clones from MNNG-treated cells. Three different forms of cell inactivation after MNNG treatment were detected similar to those observed after irradiation.