The present invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule comprising the HpYPS1 gene encoding H. polymorpha yapsin1, a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid molecule, a H. polymorpha mutant strain having reduced yapsin activity by mutation of the HpYPS gene encoding H. polymorpha yapsin1, a recombinant H. polymorpha strain expressing a foreign protein produced by introducing a gene encoding the foreign protein into the H. polymorpha mutant strain, and a process for preparing a foreign protein comprising culturing the recombinant H. polymorpha strain under conditions to express the foreign protein and isolating the foreign protein from the culture.