Molecular expression of a recombinant thermostable bacterial amylase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus SR74 using methanol-free Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain SO yeast system

α-Amylase, which was isolated from Geobacillus stearothermophilus SR74, has shown its potential to be used in industrial applications. However, its expression in the Pichia pastoris expression system with the alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX1) requires high methanol consumption and is time-consuming. This study aimed to express SR74 α-amylase in an alternative yeast system, using Meyerozyma guilliermondii strain SO, which was isolated from a spoiled orange (SO) under the regulation of a formaldehyde dehydrogenase promoter (PFLD). Qualitative screening showed that strain SO possessed a native amylase grown on YPD-starch plate at 30 °C. The recombinant SR74 α-amylase was further quantified and validated using the Western blot test. It was confirmed that SR74 α-amylase was expressed by strain SO extracellularly with a size of 59 kDa. Optimization in a shake flask showed that the recombinant SR74 α-amylase, which was regulated by PFLD, was successfully produced (26 U/mL) without any external inducer in the YPT medium after 24 h of cultivation. In conclusion, strain SO was able to produce SR74 amylase without methanol in one-fifth the fermentation time of P. pastoris. Further optimization of the expression may be done to improve the yield, as this methanol-free host is still underexplored.

Characterization of a highly stable α-galactosidase from thermophilic Rasamsonia emersonii heterologously expressed in a modified Pichia pastoris expression system

Background Structurally stable α-galactosidases are of great interest for various biotechnological applications. More thermophilic α-galactosidases with high activity and structural stability have therefore to be mined and characterized. On the other hand, few studies have been performed to prominently enhance the AOX1 promoter activity in the commonly used Pichia pastoris system, in which production of some heterologous proteins are insufficient for further study. Results ReGal2 encoding a thermoactive α-galactosidase was identified from the thermophilic (hemi)cellulolytic fungus Rasamsonia emersonii. Significantly increased production of ReGal2 was achieved when ReGal2 was expressed in an engineered Pastoris pichia expression system with a modified AOX1 promoter and simultaneous fortified expression of Mxr1 that is involved in transcriptionally activating AOX1. Purified ReGal2 exists as an oligomer and has remarkable thermo-activity and thermo-tolerance, exhibiting maximum activity of 935 U/mg towards pNPGal at 80 °C and retaining full activity after incubation at 70 °C for 60 h. ReGal2 is insensitive to treatments by many metal ions and exhibits superior tolerance to protein denaturants. Moreover, ReGal2 efficiently hydrolyzed stachyose and raffinose in soybeans at 70 °C in 3 h and 24 h, respectively. Conclusion A modified P. pichia expression system with significantly enhanced AOX1 promoter activity has been established, in which ReGal2 production is markedly elevated to facilitate downstream purification and characterization. Purified ReGal2 exhibited prominent features in thermostability, catalytic activity, and resistance to protein denaturants. ReGal2 thus holds great potential in relevant biotechnological applications.