Research Projects

Pichia pastoris, a methylotrophic and respiratory yeast, has been used for the development of recombinant proteins. Researchers have investigated the regulation of carbon metabolism in P. pastoris, identifying a novel post-transcriptional regulatory circuit involving a basic helix-loop-helix protein called Rtg1p. Rtg1p acts as a cytosolic, post-transcriptional regulator of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH2) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in cells cultured in media containing glutamate as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. The researchers aim to understand the mechanism by which glutamate and Rtg1p regulate GDH2 synthesis, as well as the nuclear and cytosolic functions of RtgXp. They will also use GDH2 and PEPCK promoters for glutamate-inducible synthesis of recombinant proteins in P. pastoris.