Heterologous protein production in microalga

• Grant number: 13/18224-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): May 16, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: João Carlos Monteiro de Carvalho
• Grantee: João Vitor Dutra Molino
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 13/26310-6 - Production of heterologoues protein in microalga, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The biological pharmaceuticals in the Big Pharma has high economic importance, but it development is highly expensive and have high financial risk for the companies (only 30% of all drugs entering clinical testing will ever reach the market). Varieties of expression system are currently being developed and applied in protein-based drug production. Choice of the most appropriate cell line type is based on performance priorities and need of each heterologous or recombinant protein being produced. Microalgae have many features that are desirable for a commercial recombinant protein expression system, including high growth rate and ease of cultivation, with the ability to perform post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications. The integrated use of different upstream techniques may lead to an expression system with high expression rates with interested features as the secretion of target protein to the medium. In parallel, the production optimization can assist in the search of higher expression levels. In the present project, we propose the development of a nuclear mutant microalga to produce hyaluronidase, a protein with therapeutics interest, using a conjunction of molecular biology techniques. The production will be evaluated in 3L photobioreactors in different conditions, and the best result tested in upper scale (35L) to observe scalability.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DUTRA MOLINO, JOAO VITOR; MONTEIRO DE CARVALHO, JOAO CARLOS; MAYFIELD, STEPHEN. Evaluation of secretion reporters to microalgae biotechnology: Blue to red fluorescent proteins. ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS, v. 31, p. 252-261, APR 2018. (13/18224-2)

DUTRA MOLINO, JOAO VITOR; MONTEIRO DE CARVALHO, JOAO CARLOS; MAYFIELD, STEPHEN PATRICK. Comparison of secretory signal peptides for heterologous protein expression in microalgae: Expanding the secretion portfolio for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. PLoS One, v. 13, n. 2, FEB 6 2018. (13/18224-2)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MOLINO, João Vitor Dutra. Production of heterologous protein in microalga. 2017. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ) São Paulo.