(191bx) Expression of Snake Antivenom Peptide Chain in Pichia Pastoris

The North American Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is resistant to snake bite by US snakes from the crotalid family, such as the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The N-terminal peptide fragment of a serum protein from the opossum has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of venom toxins. The recombinant expression of the peptide is sought as a potential low-cost route to production of the antivenom peptide. We have expressed the peptide as a concatenated chain of peptides in P. pastoris and found good levels of the peptide chain secreted into the medium. The presentation will discuss the development of the P. pastoris expression host, the production process and the activity of the produced peptides.