• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.36-48
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• 2010

An agar-degrading Agarivorans sp. AG17 strain was isolated from the red seaweed Grateloupia filicina collected from Jeju Island. A beta-agarase gene from Agarivorans sp. AG17 was cloned and designated as agrA. agrA has a 2,985 bp coding region encoding 995 amino acids and was classified into the glycoside hydrolase family (GHF)-50. Predicted molecular mass of the mature protein was 105 kDa. His-tagged agrA was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified as a fusion protein. The enzyme showed 158.8 unit/mg specific activity (optimum temperature at $65^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.5 in acetate buffer) with unique biochemical properties (high thermal and pH stabilities). Enzyme produced neoagarohexaose, neoagarotetraose and neoagarobiose by degrading agar, and hydrolyzed neoagaro-oligosaccharides were biologically active. Hence the purified enzyme has potential for use in industrial applications such as the development of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.765-775
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• 2019

A new ${\alpha}$-amylase-encoding gene (amySL3) of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 13 was identified in soda lake isolate Alkalibacterium sp. SL3. The deduced AmySL3 shares high identities (82-98%) with putative ${\alpha}$-amylases from the genus Alkalibacterium, but has low identities (<53%) with functionally characterized counterparts. amySL3 was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant enzyme (rAmySL3) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The optimal temperature and pH of the activity of the purified rAmySL3 were determined to be $45^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.5, respectively. rAmySL3 was found to be extremely halophilic, showing maximal enzyme activity at a nearly saturated concentration of NaCl. Its thermostability was greatly enhanced in the presence of 4 M NaCl, and it was highly stable in 5 M NaCl. Moreover, the enzyme did not require calcium ions for activity, and was strongly resistant to a range of surfactants and hydrophobic organic solvents. The major hydrolysis products of rAmySL3 from soluble starch were maltobiose and maltotriose. The high ratio of acidic amino acids and highly negative electrostatic potential surface might account for the halophilic nature of AmySL3. The extremely halophilic, calcium-independent, and surfactant-resistant properties make AmySL3 a promising candidate enzyme for both basic research and industrial applications.