We have previously reported a non-processive endo-type chitinase, ChiA, from a newly isolated marine psychrophilic bacterium, Pseudoalteromonas sp. DL-6. In this study, a processive exo-type chitinase, ChiC, was cloned from the same bacterium and characterized in detail. ChiC could hydrolyze crystalline chitin into (GlcNAc)2 as the only observed product. It exhibited high catalytic activity even at low temperatures, e.g. close to 0 °C, or in the presence of 5 M NaCl, suggesting that ChiC was a cold-adapted and highly salt-tolerant chitinase. ChiC could also hydrolyze other substrates, including chitosan and Avicel, indicating its broad substrate specificity. Sequence features indicated that ChiC was a multi-domain protein having a deep substrate-binding groove that was regarded as characteristic of processive exo-chitinases. Enzymatic hydrolysis of chitin by ChiC could be remarkably boosted in the presence of ChiA, suggesting the synergy of ChiC and ChiA. This work provided a new evidence to prove that marine psychrophilic bacteria utilized a synergistic enzyme system to degrade recalcitrant chitin.
A novel gene (ANK58566) encoding a cold-active α-amylase was cloned from marine bacterium Bacillus sp. dsh19-1 (CCTCC AB 2015426), and the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene had a length of 1302 bp and encoded an α-amylase of 433 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 50.1 kDa. The recombinant α-amylase (AmyD-1) showed maximum activity at 20 °C and pH 6.0, and retained about 35.7% of activity at 4 °C. The AmyD-1 activity was stimulated by Ca and Na. However, the chelating agent, EDTA, inactivated the enzyme. Moreover, AmyD-1 displayed extreme salt tolerance, with the highest activity in the presence of 2.0 M NaCl and 60.5% of activity in 5.0 M NaCl. The K, V and k of AmyD-1 in 2.0 M NaCl were 2.8 mg ml, 21.8 mg ml min and 933.5 s, respectively, at 20 °C and pH 6.0 with soluble starch as substrate. MALDI-TOF MS (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry) revealed that the end products of starch hydrolysis by AmyD-1 were glucose, maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, and malt oligosaccharides. Thus, AmyD-1 is one of the very few α-amylases that can tolerate low temperatures and high salt concentrations, which makes it to be a potential candidate for research in basic and applied microbiology.
The method is simple and convenient since it enables the detection of E. coli without expensive apparatus. It is applicable to other types of food samples.
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