Flo5-1 and Nrg1 are involved in reversible pH-dependent flocculation in Komagataella phaffii.

ABSTRACT: The non-conventional yeast Komagataella phaffii (syn Pichia pastoris) is a well-established host for biotechnological production processes, especially for recombinant protein production. Such processes are mostly run at neutral or slightly acid pH values between pH 5.0 and 6.5, but K. phaffii can grow also at lower or higher pH. Strikingly, we found that K. phaffii displays pH-dependent flocculation at pH 4, which is reversible when the cells are shifted to higher or lower pH. Six members of the flocculin (FLO) gene family were differentially regulated at pH 4.0. Of these, Flo5-1 was revealed to be crucially involved in the pH-triggered flocculation behavior, as cells lacking this flocculin (flo5-1Δ) settled at a much faster rate in the sedimentation assays. The transcriptional regulator N

SUBMITTER: De S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12321659 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature