Pichia pastoris production of a prolyl 4-hydroxylase derived from Chondrosia reniformis sponge: A new biotechnological tool for the recombinant production of marine collagen.

Prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H) is a α2ß2 tetramer catalyzing the post-translational hydroxylation of prolines in collagen. Its recombinant production is mainly pursued to realize biotechnological tools able to generate animal contaminant-free hydroxylated collagen. One promising candidate for biomedical applications is the collagen extracted from the marine sponge Chondrosia reniformis, because of its biocompatibility and because is devoid of the health risks associated with bovine and porcine collagens. Here we report on the production and selection, by enzymatic and biomolecular analyses, of a triple transformed Pichia pastoris strain expressing a stable P4H tetramer derived from C. reniformis sponge and a hydroxylated non fibrillar procollagen polypeptide from the same animal. The percentage of recombinant procollagen hydroxylated prolines inside the transformed yeast was of 36.3% analyzed by mass spectrometry indicating that the recombinant enzyme is active on its natural substrate inside the yeast cell host. Furthermore, the recombinant sponge P4H has the ability to hydroxylate its natural substrate in both X and Y positions in the Xaa-Yaa-Gly collagenous triplets. In conclusion this Pichia system seems ideal for high-level production of hydroxylated sponge- or marine-derived collagen polypeptides as well as of conotoxins or other marine proteins of high pharmacological interest needing this particular post-translational modification.

A digestive prolyl carboxypeptidase in Tenebrio molitor larvae.

Prolyl carboxypeptidase (PRCP) is a lysosomal proline specific serine peptidase that also plays a vital role in the regulation of physiological processes in mammals. In this report, we isolate and characterize the first PRCP in an insect. PRCP was purified from the anterior midgut of larvae of a stored product pest, Tenebrio molitor, using a three-step chromatography strategy, and it was determined that the purified enzyme was a dimer. The cDNA of PRCP was cloned and sequenced, and the predicted protein was identical to the proteomic sequences of the purified enzyme. The substrate specificity and kinetic parameters of the enzyme were determined. The T. molitor PRCP participates in the hydrolysis of the insect's major dietary proteins, gliadins, and is the first PRCP to be ascribed a digestive function. Our collective data suggest that the evolutionary enrichment of the digestive peptidase complex in insects with an area of acidic to neutral pH in the midgut is a result of the incorporation of lysosomal peptidases, including PRCP.