ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY, vol.48, no.3, pp.209-216, 2011 (SCI-Expanded)
The influence of methanol feeding rate on intracellular reaction network of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) producing Pichia pastoris was investigated at three different specific growth rates, namely, 0.02 (MS-0.02), 0.03 (MS-0.03), and 0.04h(-1) (MS-0.04) where Period-I (33 <= t < 42 h) includes the early exponential growth phase; Period-II (42 <= t < 48 h) is the exponential growth phase where the specific cell growth rate decreases; Period-III (48 <= t <= 51 h) is the exponential growth phase where rhGH concentration was the highest; and Period-IV (t > 51 h) is the diminution phase for rhGH and cell synthesis. In Period-I, almost all of the formaldehyde entered the assimilatory pathway, at MS-0.02 and MS-0.03, whereas, at MS-0.04 high methanol feeding rate resulted in an adaptation problem. In Period-III, only at MS-0.02 co-carbon source sorbitol uptake-flux was active showing that sorbitol uptake does not affected from the predetermined feeding rate of methanol at mu(0) > 0.02 h(-1). The biomass synthesis flux value was the highest in Period-I, -II and -III, respectively at MS-0.03 & MS-0.04, MS-0.04 and MS-0.02; whereas, rhGH flux was the highest in Period-I, -II, and -III, respectively at MS-0.03, MS-0.02 and MS-0.03. Based on the fluxes, Period-I should start with MS-0.03 methanol feeding rate and starting from the middle of Period-II methanol feeding rate should be shifted to MS-0.02. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.