Isolation and characterization of the plasma membrane from the yeast Pichia pastoris.

Karlheinz Grillitsch, Pablo Tarazona, Lisa Klug, Tamara Wriessnegger, Günther Zellnig, Erich Leitner, Ivo Feussner, Günther Daum*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Despite similarities of cellular membranes in all eukaryotes, every compartment displays characteristic and often unique features which are important for the functions of the specific organelles. In the present study, we biochemically characterized the plasma membrane of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris with emphasis on the lipids which form the matrix of this compartment. Prerequisite for this effort was the design of a standardized and reliable isolation protocol of the plasma membrane at high purity. Analysis of isolated plasma membrane samples from P. pastoris revealed an increase of phosphatidylserine and a decrease of phosphatidylcholine compared to bulk membranes. The amount of saturated fatty acids in the plasma membrane was higher than in total cell extracts. Ergosterol, the final product of the yeast sterol biosynthetic pathway, was found to be enriched in plasma membrane fractions, although markedly lower than in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A further characteristic feature of the plasma membrane from P. pastoris was the enrichment of inositol phosphorylceramides over neutral sphingolipids, which accumulated in internal membranes. The detailed analysis of the P. pastoris plasma membrane is discussed in the light of cell biological features of this microorganism especially as a microbial cell factory for heterologous protein production.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1889-1897
JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes
Volume1838
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Fields of Expertise

  • Human- & Biotechnology

Treatment code (Nähere Zuordnung)

  • Basic - Fundamental (Grundlagenforschung)

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