RNAi expression tuning, microfluidic screening, and genome recombineering for improved protein production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Journal article, 2019

The cellular machinery that supports protein synthesis and secretion lies at the foundation of cell factory-centered protein production. Due to the complexity of such cellular machinery, the challenge in generating a superior cell factory is to fully exploit the production potential by finding beneficial targets for optimized strains, which ideally could be used for improved secretion of other proteins. We focused on an approach in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that allows for attenuation of gene expression, using RNAi combined with high-throughput microfluidic single-cell screening for cells with improved protein secretion. Using direct experimental validation or enrichment analysis-assisted characterization of systematically introduced RNAi perturbations, we could identify targets that improve protein secretion. We found that genes with functions in cellular metabolism (YDC1, AAD4, ADE8, and SDH1), protein modification and degradation (VPS73, KTR2, CNL1, and SSA1), and cell cycle (CDC39), can all impact recombinant protein production when expressed at differentially down-regulated levels. By establishing a workflow that incorporates Cas9-mediated recombineering, we demonstrated how we could tune the expression of the identified gene targets for further improved protein production for specific proteins. Our findings offer a high throughput and semirational platform design, which will improve not only the production of a desired protein but even more importantly, shed additional light on connections between protein production and other cellular processes.

RNA interference

Droplet microfluidic screening

Genome recombineering

Protein production

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Author

Guokun Wang

Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology

Sara M. Björk

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Mingtao Huang

Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology

Quanli Liu

Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology

Kate Campbell

Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology

Jens B Nielsen

Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology

Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

H. N. Joensson

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Dina Petranovic Nielsen

Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

0027-8424 (ISSN) 1091-6490 (eISSN)

Vol. 116 19 9324-9332

Subject Categories

Cell Biology

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Medical Biotechnology (with a focus on Cell Biology (including Stem Cell Biology), Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry or Biopharmacy)

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1820561116

PubMed

31000602

More information

Latest update

5/28/2019