Yeast arming by the Aga2p system: effect of growth conditions in galactose on the efficiency of the display and influence of expressing leucine-containing peptides

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013 Oct;97(20):9055-69. doi: 10.1007/s00253-013-5086-4. Epub 2013 Jul 20.

Abstract

The amino or carboxy-terminal regions of certain cell wall proteins are capable of anchoring foreign proteins or peptides on the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This possibility has resulted in the development of a methodology known as yeast display which has powerful applications in biotechnology, pharmacy, and medicine. This work describes the results of experiments in which the agglutinin Aga2p protein is used as an anchor and several leucine-based peptides have been introduced into its N-terminal or C-terminal position. We found that the sequence of these peptides can affect plasmid stability, growth kinetics, and levels of the fusion protein displayed, and we analyzed how the incubation conditions influence these parameters. Besides, we show that the introduction of these small peptides can modify the properties of cell cover; in particular, fusing five or ten leucine residues to the Aga2p protein results in greater hydrophobicity of the cell wall and also in increased resistance to the presence of the organic solvents acetonitrile and ethanol and to high salt concentrations. The introduction of the RLRLL sequence also results in higher resistance to the exposure of yeast cells to NaCl stress.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / genetics
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / metabolism*
  • Cell Surface Display Techniques / methods*
  • Cell Wall / genetics
  • Cell Wall / metabolism
  • Galactose / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression
  • Leucine / genetics*
  • Leucine / metabolism
  • Peptides / genetics*
  • Peptides / metabolism
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Plasmids / metabolism
  • Protein Engineering
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / growth & development*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • AGA2 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Peptides
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Leucine
  • Galactose