Mushroom glycoengineering for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins

The market for N-glycosylated therapeutic proteins represents multi-billion dollars in sales and is growing more than 5% each year. This requires cost-effective production platforms that display correct and homogeneous N-glycosylation. Previously, we investigated the N-glycosylation pattern of mushroom-forming fungi1. Based on the advantageous glycosylation profile observed, we proposed to use mushrooms (basidiomycetes) for the production of therapeutic proteins2. We have been studying the secretory pathway of basidiomycetes to be able to accomplish humanization of N-glycosylation. We show the first steps towards humanized N-glycosylation in basidiomycetes. We will elaborate on phenotypic effects and strain performance upon different glyco-engineering modifications and report on capacity of resulting strains to produce therapeutic glycoproteins.