Macrokinetic model for methylotrophic Pichia pastoris based on stoichiometric balance

• Published in: Journal of biotechnology Vol. 106; no. 1; pp. 53 - 68
• Main Authors: Ren, H.T., Yuan, J.Q., Bellgardt, K.-H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 05-12-2003; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Algorithms; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Cell Culture Techniques - methods; Cell Division - physiology; Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques; Computer Simulation; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate; Glycerol - metabolism; Humans; Kinetics; Metabolic pathways; Methanol - metabolism; Models, Biological; Multienzyme Complexes - metabolism; NADH; Pichia - cytology; Pichia - genetics; Pichia - growth & development; Pichia - metabolism; Pichia pastoris; Protein Engineering - methods; Recombinant human serum albumin; Recombinant Proteins - biosynthesis; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Serum Albumin - biosynthesis; Stoichiometric model; xylulose-5-monophosphate; Stoichiometric model; AcCoA; G3P; GLY; MeOH; GAP; FOR; PYR; Metabolic pathways; Pichia pastoris; Recombinant human serum albumin; Human; Serum albumin; Metabolic pathway; Gene expression; Methylotrophy; Fungi; Kinetic model; Ascomycetes; Recombinant protein; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0168-1656; 1873-4863
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2003.08.003

A macrokinetic model for
Pichia pastoris expressing recombinant human serum albumin is proposed. The model describes the balances of some key metabolites, ATP and NADH, during glycerol and methanol metabolism. In the glycerol growth phase, the metabolic pathways mainly include phosphorylation, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and respiratory chain. In the methanol growth phase, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde at first. Then, while a part of formaldehyde is oxidized to formate, the rest is condensed with xylulose-5-monophosphate to form glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and further assimilated to form cell constituents. The metabolic pathways following glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate were assumed to be similar to those in the glycerol growth phase. Based on the model, the macrokinetic bioreaction rates such as the specific substrate consumption rate, the specific growth rate, the specific acetyl–CoA formation rate as well as the specific oxygen uptake rate are obtained. The specific substrate consumption rate and the specific growth rate are then coupled into a bioreactor model such that the relationship between substrate feeding rates and the main state variables, i.e., the medium volume, the concentrations of the biomass, the substrate, and the product, is set up. Experimental results demonstrate that the model can describe the cell growth and the protein production with reasonable accuracy.