Specific features of the transcriptomic response to nitrogen starvation in methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii

Non-conventional methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii is an important production host in biotechnology and an emerging model organism. In this work, we studied K. phaffii response to nitrogen starvation during cultivation in media with methanol as the sole carbon source. The results were compared with a well-established model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of the observed effects of nitrogen starvation in K. phaffii were similar to those in S. cerevisiae, although this yeast does not have a metabolic pathway for methanol utilization. The effects include activation of autophagy, transport and catabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds, interconversions of amino acids, and biosynthesis of fatty acids. K. phaffii cells also demonstrated a specific response to nitrogen starvation including suppression of genes involved in methanol metabolism and other peroxisomal processes and activation of purine catabolism genes.