This study aimed to establish a secretory production process for recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in Pichia pastoris and to assess strains constructed with three promoters (AOX1, GAP, and ADH3). A 6His–4DK-tagged rhEGF expression ca...
This study aimed to establish a secretory production process for recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in Pichia pastoris and to assess strains constructed with three promoters (AOX1, GAP, and ADH3). A 6His–4DK-tagged rhEGF expression cassette was cloned into pPICZαA, pGAPZαA, and pADH3ZαA and integrated into P. pastoris X-33. Candidate high-producing clones were obtained using liquid post-transformational vector amplification (LPTVA) followed by SDS-PAGE-based screening, and cultivated in 5 L DO-stat fed-batch fermentations. Cell growth, DO profiles, SDS-PAGE of culture supernatants, and BCA assays were used to characterize secretion. rhEGF was purified from harvest supernatants by Ni²⁺-affinity chromatography and quantified by BCA. The estimated rhEGF recovery per litre was approximately 210, 120, and 14 mg/L for AOX1-, ADH3-, and GAP-based strains, corresponding to total recoveries of about 490, 210, and 44 mg per run, respectively. Overall, all three promoters enabled secretory rhEGF production under the conditions tested; AOX1 showed the highest recovery, while ADH3 provided a methanol-free option with intermediate recovery.