Integrated single-cell analysis shows Pichia pastoris secretes protein stochastically.

The production of heterologous proteins by secretion from cellular hosts is an important determinant for the cost of biotherapeutics. A single-cell analytical method called microengraving was used to examine the heterogeneity in secretion by the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. We show that constitutive secretion of a human Fc fragment by P. pastoris is not cell-cycle dependent, but rather fluctuates between states of high and low productivity in a stochastic manner.