The present invention provides an array for rapidly identifying a host cell population capable of producing a heterologous recombinant protein with improved yield and/or quality. The array comprises one or more host cell populations that have been genetically modified to increase the expression of one or more target genes involved in protein production, decrease the expression of one or more target genes involved in protein degradation, or both. One or more of the strains in the array may express the heterologous recombinant protein of interest in a periplasm compartment or may secrete the heterologous recombinant protein extracellularly through an outer cell wall. The strain arrays are useful for screening for improved expression of any protein of interest including therapeutic proteins, hormones, growth factors, extracellular receptors or ligands, proteases, kinases, blood proteins, chemokines, cytokines, antibodies and the like.