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Synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate in the peroxisome of Pichia pastoris

2002; Oxford University Press; Volume: 207; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1574-6968.2002.tb11035.x

1574-6968

Yves Poirier, Nadine Erard, Jean MacDonald-Comber Petétot,

Biopolymer Synthesis and Applications

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters naturally produced by bacteria that have properties of biodegradable plastics and elastomers. A PHA synthase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa modified at the carboxy-end for peroxisomal targeting was transformed in Pichia pastoris. The PHA synthase was expressed under the control of the promoter of the P. pastoris acyl-CoA oxidase gene. Synthesis of up to 1% medium-chain-length PHA per g dry weight was dependent on both the expression of the PHA synthase and the presence of oleic acid in the medium. PHA accumulated as inclusions within the peroxisomes. P. pastoris could be used as a model system to study how peroxisomal metabolism needs to be modified to increase PHA production in other eukaryotes, such as plants.