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Revision as of 13:14, 19 October 2019
Experiments
The Optimization of the Metabolic Pathways of P. pastoris in Medicine Production via Methanol Fermentation
Methanol is a major byproduct of the coal industry. Engineered Pichia pastoris GS115, a strain of methylotrophic yeast, is capable of converting methanol into medical compounds such as the insulin precursor and lovastatin. However, in such P. pastoris, the metabolism of methanol is highly specific and results in significant oxygen consumption and heat generation, which have limited its industrial applications. We aim to address this issue by improving the methanol conversion rate in P. pastoris by re-engineering its homogeneous circuits expressing the transcription factors that would up-regulate the expression of AOX1, the protein allowing it to metabolize methanol. Through our multiple rounds of experiments, we eventually acquired strains that are capable of yielding an up to 20% increase in total GFP production per gram methanol compared to the wildtype. Based on our modeling, such strains should have an (percent) decrease in heat generation per unit product and a (percent) decrease in oxygen consumption compared to the wildtype.