Bax-induced cell death in Pichia pastoris

Murine Bax was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris, using the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) or alcohol oxidase 2 (AOX2) promoter and the AOX1 terminator. Upon induction in methanol medium, transformants containing BAX cDNA under control of the strong AOX1 promoter showed complete growth inhibition and extensive cell death. Except for chromatin condensation, morphological changes typical of apoptosis in mammalian cells could not be observed, indicating that the cell death machinery in P. pastoris is marked different from the endogenous cell death program of higher eukaryotes. Staining of Bax-induced cells with propidium iodide indicated that cell death was not correlated with necrosis. Electron microscopic examination revealed no striking differences in cell morphology, but showed few cells with an enlarged vacuole containing spherical bodies, which suggests autophagic cell death.