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Recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen production in Aspergillus niger: evaluating the strategy of gene fusion to native glucoamylase

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Abstract

This study demonstrates the potential of Aspergillus niger as a candidate expression system for virus-like particle production using gene fusion. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) production, targeted through the secretory pathway in A. niger, resulted in completely assembled and properly folded HBsAg. This was achieved by implementing a gene fusion strategy using the highly expressed catalytic domain of the native glucoamylase gene (GlaA G2 ) fused to the HBsAg S gene. The inducible glucoamylase promoter (GlaA p ) was used to control transcription in the A. niger D15 host. The gene fusion strategy was designed for cleavage of the fused product by the KEX2-like protease, resulting in intracellular accumulation of HBsAg and extracellular secretion of glucoamylase. Immunodetection using a monoclonal HBsAg antibody could not detect the fused GlaA G2 ::S product in intracellular and extracellular fractions, indicating that full assembly and maturation of HBsAg occurred after cleavage of the fused product in the Golgi complex. Several breakdown products showing an immunoreactive response to the glucoamylase polyclonal antibody indicated a level of intracellular degradation. The choice of carbon source used in cultivation significantly affected HBsAg production levels through induction of the glucoamylase promoter. The highest specific HBsAg production was observed during growth on inducing substrates of starch and its degradation products (maltodextrin and maltose), although residual glucose accumulation in the mid-exponential phase reduced HBsAg production. HBsAg production in starch-based cultures may be improved further by optimization of the rates of starch hydrolysis by glucoamylase and subsequent glucose consumption by the host.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Peter Punt (TNO, Zeist, Netherlands) for the generous donation of the Aspergillus expression vectors, the pyrG and amdS marker genes, the A. niger D15 strain, and the glucoamylase antibodies. Special thanks go to Dr. Annette Plüddemann who did the construction of expression vector pAHB19.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR Biosciences, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    ER James & PJ van Zyl

  2. Department of Process Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa

    ER James & JF Görgens

  3. Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa

    WH van Zyl

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  1. ER James
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Correspondence to JF Görgens.

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James, E., van Zyl, W., van Zyl, P. et al. Recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen production in Aspergillus niger: evaluating the strategy of gene fusion to native glucoamylase. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 96, 385–394 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4191-0

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