Variation in N-linked oligosaccharide structures on heterologous proteins secreted by the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris.

We report the characterization of N-linked oligosaccharides on six foreign glycoproteins secreted from the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. These proteins included: a bacterial enzyme, Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase; three fungal enzymes, Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase, Penicillium minioluteum dextranase, and Mucor pusillus aspartic protease; and two higher eukaryotic proteins, Boophilus microplus (tick) gut antigen and bovine enterokinase catalytic subunit. The carbohydrates on these proteins were observed to vary in size, with Man8GlcNAc2 and Man9GlcNAc2 structures being the most frequently observed species. Substantial amounts of shorter oligomannoside structures were present only on invertase, and longer structures (up to Man18GlcNAc2) were common on aspartic protease and enterokinase. Phosphorylated oligosaccharides were observed on one protein, aspartic protease. Unlike oligosaccharides on glycoproteins secreted from S. cerevisiae, no terminal alpha1,3-linked mannosylation was observed on any of the six P. pastoris-secreted proteins. Changing the growth and induction medium from a minimal salt-based medium to a molasses-based medium had little effect on the size of the oligomannosides. From these results, it is apparent that most foreign proteins secreted from P. pastoris are not subjected to the extensive mannosylation (hyperglycosylation) that commonly occurs in proteins secreted from S. cerevisiae.