Patent ID: 6342375
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: C07K,C12N

Abstract:
An isolated DNA molecule containing one or more copies of an expression cassette that includes:(i) an alcohol oxidase promoter of a methylotrophic Pichia pastoris gene that can be induced with methanol; (ii) a DNA sequence encoding: (a) a S. cerevisiae alpha factor pre-pro signal sequence including the proteolytic processing site lys-arg; (b) a 191 amino acid polypeptide of mature human growth hormone (HGH); and (c) a synthetic adapter DNA for optimum integration and functionality; and (iii) a transcription termination sequence functional in Pichia pastoris, where: the DNA sequence encoding the alpha factor pre-pro sequence and the DNA sequence encoding the HGH polypeptide are functionally associated in such a way that under a process of transcription and translation, biologically active mature HGH polypeptide is secreted into a culture medium; and wherein the promoter and termination sequence are functionally associated with the DNA sequence encoding the HGH polypeptide, and the promoter directs the transcription of the DNA sequence encoding the HGH polypeptide by induction with methanol in Pichia pastoris.