Human mitochondrial acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) catalyzes the oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetic acid. Therefore, ALDH2 has therapeutic potential in detoxification of acetaldehyde. Further-more, ALDH2 catalyzes nitroglycerin to nitrate and 1, 2-glyceryldinitrate during therapy for angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Large quantities of ALDH2 will be needed for potential clinical practice. In this study, Pichia pastoris was used as a platform for expression of human ALDH2. Based on the ALDH2*1 cDNA sequence, we designed ALDH2 cDNA by choosing the P. pastoris preferred codons and by decreasing the G + C content level. The sequence was synthesized using the overlap extension PCR method. The cDNA and 6×His tags were subcloned into the plasmid pPIC9K. The recombinant protein was expressed in P. pastoris GS115 and purified using Ni2+-Sepharose affinity chromatography. The amount of secreted protein in the culture was 80 mg/L in shake-flask cultivation and 260 mg/L in high-density bioreactor fermentation. Secreted ALDH2 was easily purified from the culture supernatant by using Ni2+-Sepharose affinity chromatography. After purification of the fermentation supernatant, the enzyme had a specific activity of 1.2 U/mg protein. The yield was about 16 mg/L in a shake flask culture of P. pastoris GS115 which contained the original human ALDH2*1 cDNA.
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