• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.245-251
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• 2011

[ ${\alpha}$ ]Galactosidase was purified from a culture filtrate of Mortierella sp. by CM-sephadex C-50, and subsequent Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The final preparation thus obtained showed a single band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was determined to be 56 kDa. $Gal^3Man^4$ ($6^3$-mono-O-${\alpha}$-D-galactopyranosyl-4-O-${\beta}$-D-mannotetraose), $Gal^{2,3}Man_5$ ($6^{2,3}$-di-O-${\alpha}$-D-galactopyranosyl-4-O-${\beta}$-D-mannopentaose), $Gal_2Man_3$ ($6^2$-mono-O-${\alpha}$-D-galactopyranosyl-4-O-${\beta}$-D-mannotriose), $Gal^2Man_6$ ($6^2$-mono-O-${\alpha}$-D-galactopyranosyl-4-O-${\beta}$-D-mannohexaose) and $Gal^2Man_5$ ($6^2$-mono-O-${\alpha}$-D-galactopyranosyl-4-O-${\beta}$-D-mannopentaose), prepared from 3 types of microbial ${\beta}$-mannnanase, were used as substrates. $Gal^3Man_4$ and $Gal^2Man_3$ had a stubbed ${\alpha}$-galactosyl residue on the $2^{nd}$ and $3^{rd}$ mannose from the reducing end of mannotetraose and mannotriose, thus ${\alpha}$-galactosidase showed a preference for stubbed ${\alpha}$-galactosyl residue. ${\alpha}$-Galactosidase hydrolyzed $Gal^3Man_4$ more rapidly than $Gal^2Man_3$. However, ${\alpha}$-galactosidase hardly acted on $Gal^{2,3}Man_5$, $Gal^2Man_6$ or $Gal^2Man_5$. The enzyme hydrolyzed melibiose to galactose and glucose, raffinose to galactose and sucrose, and also stachyose to galactose and raffinose.