Project description:The yeast Komagataella phaffii is a promising alternative host for manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Deletion of unneeded endogenous proteins could increase the secreted titer of recombinant proteins by redirecting cellular resources. Genetic engineering in non-model hosts is hampered by limited annotation of genes, especially essential genes. In this study, we identified the set of endogenous secreted proteins in K. phaffii and attempted to disrupt these genes. We designed, transformed, and sequenced a pooled CRISPR-Cas9 knockout library to determine which genes are essential. With this knowledge, we rapidly disrupted up to 9 consecutive genes in K. phaffii. Engineered strains exhibited a ~20x increase in the production of human serum albumin and a 2x increase in the production of a monoclonal antibody. The pooled CRISPR-Cas9 library and knowledge of gene essentiality reported here will facilitate future efforts to engineer K. phaffii for production of other recombinant therapeutic proteins and enzymes.
Project description:We used RNA sequencing to analyse the differences in gene expression between the homothallic K. phaffii CBS2612 wild type and heterothallic a- and α-type strains during growth in rich medium and under mating conditions. This data was used to investigate mating-type specific gene expression and allowed the identification of the K. phaffii a-factor genes.
Project description:Prevention of COVID-19 on a global scale will require the continued development of high-volume, low-cost platforms for the manufacturing of vaccines to supply on-going demand. Vaccine candidates based on recombinant protein subunits remain important because they can be manufactured at low costs in existing large-scale production facilities that use microbial hosts like Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris). Here, we report an improved and scalable manufacturing approach for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD); this protein is a key antigen for several reported vaccine candidates. We genetically engineered a manufacturing strain of K. phaffii to obviate the requirement for methanol-induction of the recombinant gene. Methanol-free production improved the secreted titer of the RBD protein by >5x by alleviating protein folding stress. Removal of methanol from the production process enabled scale up to a 1,200 L pre-existing production facility. This engineered strain is now used to produce an RBD-based vaccine antigen that is currently in clinical trials and could be used to produce other variants of RBD as needed for future vaccines.
Project description:The protein production host Komagataella phaffii has possess the ability to differentiate into pseudohyphal form when cultivated at slow growth rates (µ=0.05 h-1) in glucose-limited chemostats. In this study, we investigated the K. phaffii FLO gene family in the context of pseudohyphae formation. Transcriptional analysis helped us identify 3 possible responsible genes, FLO11, FLO400 and FLO5-1, all of which are under control of Flo8, a transcription factor whose disruption prevents pseudohyphae formation. Knocking out FLO11 revealed that this is not the sole protein responsible for this phenotype. Strikingly, the expression of FLO400 and FLO5-1 was negatively correlated with pseudohyphae formation, and shown to be under epigenetic control by FAIRE-Seq analysis. Knock outs of these two genes completely inhibited the appearance of pseudohyphal cells and prevented the expression of FLO11. Even though the mechanism is unclear at present, we propose that in K. phaffii Flo400 and/or Flo5-1 act as upstream signals that lead to the induction of FLO11 expression upon severe glucose limitation in chemostats at slow growth rate, and that the expression of FLO400 and FLO5-1 is controlled by epigenetic silencing, which acts independently from the general activation of FLO gene expression by the transcriptional regulator Flo8.
Project description:Prior to the introduction of novel food ingredients into the food supply, safety risk assessments are required, and numerous prediction models have been developed and validated to evaluate safety. The allergenic risk potential of Helaina recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF, Effera™), produced in Komagataella phaffii (K. phaffii) was assessed by literature search, bioinformatics sequence comparisons to known allergens, glycan allergenicity assessment, and a simulated pepsin digestion model. The literature search identified no allergenic risk for Helaina rhLF, K. phaffii, or its glycans. Bioinformatics search strategies showed no significant risk for cross-reactivity or allergenicity between rhLF or the 36 residual host proteins and known human allergens. Helaina rhLF was also rapidly digested in simulated gastric fluid and its digestibility profile was comparable to human milk lactoferrin (hmLF), further demonstrating a low allergenic risk and similarity to the hmLF form. Collectively, these results demonstrate a low allergenic risk potential of Helaina rhLF and do not support the need for further clinical testing or serum IgE binding to evaluate Helaina rhLF for risk of food allergy prior to addition into the food supply.