Tandem repeated expression of lunasin gene in Pichia pastoris and its anti-inflammatory activity in vitro

Lunasin is a novel promising health-beneficial peptide derived from soybean. However, the application of lunasin is limited by its high cost. In this study, we developed a successful protocol for expression of a dimer formation protein containing 4 tandem repeated lunasin analogs (lunasin-4) in Pichia pastoris . The expression level at the optimal condition (initial pH 7.0, 1.0% final methanol concentration and induction for 72 h at 26 °C) was 0.24 mg/mL cell-free broth. Lunasin analog, obtained from purified lunasin-4 protein through enterokinase digestion and ultrafiltration, significantly decreased ( p