• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2021

A newly cloned 4-α-glucanotransferase (αGT) from Deinococcus geothermalis and two typical bacterial αGTs from Thermus scotoductus and Escherichia coli (MalQ) were investigated. Among 4 types of catalysis, the cyclization activity of αGTs that produces cycloamylose (CA), a valuable carbohydrate making inclusion complexes, was intensively studied. The new αGT, DgαGT, showed close protein sequence to the αGT from T. scotoductus (TsαGT). MalQ was clearly separated from the other two αGTs in the phylogenetic and the conserved regions analyses. The reaction velocities of disproportionation, cyclization, coupling, and hydrolysis of three αGTs were determined. Intriguingly, MalQ exhibited more than 100-fold lower cyclization activity than the others. To lesser extent, the disproportionation activity of MalQ was relatively low. DgαGT and TsαGT showed similar kinetics results, but TsαGT had nearly 10-fold lower hydrolysis activity than DgαGT. Due to the very low cyclizing activity of MalQ, DgαGT and TsαGT were selected for further analyses. When amylose was treated with DgαGT or TsαGT, CA with a broad DP range was generated immediately. The DP distribution of CA had a bimodal shape (DP 7 and 27 as peaks) for the both enzymes, but larger DPs of CA quickly decreased in the DgαGT. Cyclomaltopentaose, a rare cyclic sugar, was produced at early reaction stage and accumulated as the reactions went on in the both enzymes, but the increase was more profound in the TsαGT. Taken together, we clearly demonstrated the catalytic differences between αGT groups from thermophilic and pathogenic bacteria that and showed that αGTs play different roles depending on their lifestyle.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.435-440
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• 2004

The gene encoding a extremely thermostable 4-$\alpha$-glucanotransferase from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus litoralis, was cloned, sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme was distantly related to other functionally-related ones, such as D-enzymes. The enzyme is of industrial interest because of a novel activity of producing cycloamylose and is also important for fundamental studies of protein, sugar-metabolizing enzymes. In this paper, the overexpression of 4-$\alpha$-glucanotransferase in E. coli was carried out expression vector system with lac and T7 promoters. The enzyme was successfully overexpressed, and purified by the heat treatment of a cell-free extract, successive Butyl-Toyopearl and Mono Q chromatographies. The purified recombinant enzyme showed the same specific activity and the same mobility in SDS-PAGE as natural enzyme.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.221-226
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• 2011

The gene encoding 4-$\alpha$-glucanotransferase (mgtA) from Thermotoga neapolitana was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli in order to investigate whether this enzyme was capable of producing cycloamylose for industrial applications. MgtA was purified to homogeneity by HiTrap Q HP and Sephacryl S-200 HR column chromatographies. The size of the enzyme as determined by SDS-PAGE was about 52 kDa, which was in good agreement with its deduced molecular mass of 51.9 kDa. The optimal temperature and pH for the activity of the 4-$\alpha$-glucanotransferase was found to be $85^{\circ}C$ and 6.5, respectively. The enzyme hydrolyzed the 1,4-$\alpha$-glucosidic bonds in oligomeric 1,4-$\alpha$-glucans and transferred oligosaccharides (maltotriose being the shortest one) to acceptor maltodextrins. However, the enzymes had no activity against pullulan, glycogen, and other di- or trioligosaccharides with rare types of $\alpha$-bond. MgtA is distinguished from 4-$\alpha$-glucanotransferase from Thermotoga maritima in that it can convert maltotriose into maltooligosaccharides. The treatment of glucoamylase after the reaction of MgtA with maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, or maltohexaose as sole substrate revealed that MgtA yielded linear maltooligosaccharides instead of cycloamylose.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1201-1205
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• 2009

Corn starches with different amylose contents were enzymatically modified using Thermus aquaticus 4-$\alpha$-glucanotransferase ($TA{\alpha}GTase$). Upon the enzyme treatment, the chain-length distributions of isoamylolytically debranched products became broader [degree of polymerization (DP): 3-40] than those of untreated corn starches. In addition, a variety of cycloamyloses (CAs) with different sizes were formed by the glucanotransfer activity of $TA{\alpha}GTase$. CAs with DP 5-40 were detectable in all of the $TA{\alpha}GTase$-treated corn starches. From the results of high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography analyses, it was suggested that the amount of CAs produced by the enzyme treatment increased as the amylose content of the starches increased. Thus, we concluded that the extent of modification of starch molecules was enhanced in proportion to amylose content by the transfer activity of $TA{\alpha}GTase$. This finding could be useful for developing an efficient process of CA production using this enzyme.