Production of Antifreeze Protein from Antarctic Bacterium Flavobacterium frigoris PS1 by using Fed-batch Culture of Recombinant Pichia pastoris

Abstract

Antifreeze proteins (AFP) inhibit ice growth to permit the survival of polar organisms in the cold environments. The recombinant AFP from an Antarctic bacterium, Flavobacterium frigoris PS1, FfIBP (Flavobacterium frigoris ice-binding protein), was produced using Pichia pastoris expression system. The optimum fermentation temperature (30°C) and pH (5) for FfIBP production was determined using a fed-batch culture system. The maximal cell density and purified FfIBP were 112 g/L and 70 mg/L, respectively. The thermal hysteresis (TH) activity (0.85℃) of FfIBP obtained using a glycerol-methanol fed-batch culture system was 2-fold higher than that of the LeIBP (Leucosporidium ice-binding protein). This work allows for large-scale production of FfIBP, which could be extended to further application studies using recombinant AFPs.