The Development of the Yeast Pichia pastoris as an Engineered Probiotic

Poster Number

13A

Lead Author Major

Biological Sciences

Lead Author Status

Senior

Second Author Major

Biological Sciences/Pre-Dentistry

Second Author Status

Junior

Third Author Major

Biological Sciences/Pre-Dentistry

Third Author Status

Sophomore

Fourth Author Major

Biological Sciences/Pre-Dentistry

Fourth Author Status

Junior

Fifth Author Major

Biological Sciences/Pre-Dentistry

Fifth Author Status

Junior

Format

Poster Presentation

Faculty Mentor Name

Geoff Lin-Cereghino

Faculty Mentor Department

Biological Sciences

Additional Faculty Mentor Name

Der Thor

Abstract/Artist Statement

The yeast Pichia pastoris is used to produce many genetically engineered proteins, including some that are medicinal agents, such as lactase and insulin. Usually, the P. pastoris create these medicinal proteins inside large containers called fermenters, and these therapeutic agents require purification and other intensive processing before they can be supplied as a pill or injection. As an alternative, we decided to explore developing P. pastoris into a probiotic that could grow within and deliver these therapeutic proteins directly to the mammalian body. In our studies, we fed P. pastoris containing a model recombinant gene, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene, to mice over several months. Our goal was to answer the following: 1) did these yeasts colonize the mouse digestive tract? 2) did the yeasts produce the EGFP inside the challenging environment of the mouse intestines? and 3) did the yeast do any harm to the mice, as demonstrated by causing inflammation? Our preliminary results suggest that recombinant P. pastoris has the potential to serve as an engineered probiotic that could be utilized to treat some human diseases.

Location

Information Commons, William Knox Holt Memorial Library and Learning Center

Start Date

29-4-2023 10:00 AM

End Date

29-4-2023 1:00 PM

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Apr 29th, 10:00 AM Apr 29th, 1:00 PM

The Development of the Yeast Pichia pastoris as an Engineered Probiotic

Information Commons, William Knox Holt Memorial Library and Learning Center

The yeast Pichia pastoris is used to produce many genetically engineered proteins, including some that are medicinal agents, such as lactase and insulin. Usually, the P. pastoris create these medicinal proteins inside large containers called fermenters, and these therapeutic agents require purification and other intensive processing before they can be supplied as a pill or injection. As an alternative, we decided to explore developing P. pastoris into a probiotic that could grow within and deliver these therapeutic proteins directly to the mammalian body. In our studies, we fed P. pastoris containing a model recombinant gene, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene, to mice over several months. Our goal was to answer the following: 1) did these yeasts colonize the mouse digestive tract? 2) did the yeasts produce the EGFP inside the challenging environment of the mouse intestines? and 3) did the yeast do any harm to the mice, as demonstrated by causing inflammation? Our preliminary results suggest that recombinant P. pastoris has the potential to serve as an engineered probiotic that could be utilized to treat some human diseases.