A Guide To Pichia Pastoris Fermentation In Single-Use Stirred-Tank Bioreactors

By Ying Yang, Nina Schrand, and Ma Sha

Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast largely used for heterologous protein production in biotechnology. As an expression system, the main advantages of P. pastoris over E. coli are that the eukaryotic P. pastoris is capable of carrying out post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation, and meanwhile secreting the protein of interest. Compared to mammalian cell culture, P. pastoris displays much faster growth and requires a less expensive growth medium, making it ideal for cultivation in bioreactors. The objective of this short protocol is to provide a guide for running P. pastoris fermentation in bioreactors. Further optimization can be carried out based on the specific bioprocess needs.