Application of yeasts in gene expression studies: A comparison of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hansenula polymorpha and Kluyveromyces lactis - a review

From the onset of gene technology yeasts have been among the most commonly used host cells for the production of heterologous proteins. At the beginning of this new development the attention in molecular biology and biotechnology focused on the use of the best characterized species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, leading to an increasing number of production systems for recombinant compounds. In recent years alternative yeasts became accessible for the techniques of modern molecular genetics and, thereby, for potential applications in biotechnology. In this respect Kluyveromyces lactis, and the methylotrophs Hansemula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris have been proven to offer significant advantages over the traditional baker's yeast for the production of certain proteins. In the following article, the present status of the various yeast systems is discussed.