Magnetic nanoparticle mediated-gene delivery for simpler and more effective transformation of <i>Pichia pastoris</i>

Abstract

The introduction of exogenous DNA into a cell can be used to produce large quantities of protein. Here, we describe a novel gene delivery method for <i>Pichia pastoris</i> based on recombinant DNA delivery using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) under magnetic forces. For this purpose, a linear plasmid (pGKB-GFP) containing the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene is loaded on polyethyleneimine-coated iron oxide (Fe₃O₄@PEI) MNPs at doses that are non-toxic to the yeast cells. The pGKB-GFP loaded MNPs combined with enhancer PEI (Fe₃O₄@PEI + pGKB-GFP + PEI) are directly transferred to non-competent cells. An effective GFP expression was observed by the selection of antibiotic-resistant yeast cells and heterologous gene integration into the <i>P. pastoris</i> genome was provided. This method, which is very simple, effective, and advanced equipment-free compared to traditional methods, uses smaller amounts of DNA and the process can be performed in a shorter time. The suggested method might also be adapted for the transformation of other yeast species.