Enhancement of alkaline polygalacturonate lyase production in recombinant Pichia pastoris according to the ratio of methanol to cell concentration

Polygalacturonate lyase (PGL) production by Pichia pastoris GS115 was used as a model to study the mechanism and strategy for enhancing heterologous protein production. It was found that the ratio of methanol to cell concentration had a significant influence on PGL production. In this study, an advanced glycerol exponential feeding strategy was developed for biomass accumulation in cell growth phase, by which cell concentration reached 140 g L−1 after 19 h glycerol feeding. In subsequent production phase, a methanol feeding profile was proposed according to the optimal ratio of methanol to cell concentration at a range of 0.163–0.171 g g−1, and PGL activity and productivity reached 430 U mL−1 and 4.34 U mL−1 h−1, respectively. The strategy for enhancing PGL production by controlling the optimal ratio may provide an alternative approach to enhance heterologous protein production with P. pastoris.