Establishment of cell surface engineering and its development

Abstract

Cell surface display of proteins/peptides has been established based on mechanisms of localizing proteins to the cell surface. In contrast to conventional intracellular and extracellular (secretion) expression systems, this method, generally called an arming technology, is particularly effective when using yeasts as a host, because the control of protein folding that is often required for the preparation of proteins can be natural. This technology can be employed for basic and applied research purposes. In this review, I describe various strategies for the construction of engineered yeasts and provide an outline of the diverse applications of this technology to industrial processes such as the production of biofuels and chemicals, as well as bioremediation and health-related processes. Furthermore, this technology is suitable for novel protein engineering and directed evolution through high-throughput screening, because proteins/peptides displayed on the cell surface can be directly analyzed using intact cells without concentration and purification. Functional proteins/peptides with improved or novel functions can be created using this beneficial, powerful, and promising technique.

Graphical abstract

Cell surface engineering can be employed for basic and applied research purposes, the construction of engineered yeasts and industrial processes, etc.

Key words:

• cell surface engineering
• engineered yeast
• arming technology
• whole-cell biocatalyst
• protein engineering

Acknowledgements

I am most grateful to Associate Professor Kouichi Kuroda as a confidential coworker. I would further like to express my appreciation to the all members in our research group. Finally, I would like to express my thanks to the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry for the JSBBA Award 2015.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

This review was written in response to the author’s receipt of the JSBBA Award in 2015.