Purification and Characterization of an Alkaline Protease from Micrococcus sp.Isolated from the South China Sea

Protease is wildly used in various fields,such as food,medicine,washing,leather,cosmetics and other industrial fields.In this study,an alkaline protease secreted by Micrococcus NH54PC02 isolated from the South China Sea was purified and characterized.The growth curve and enzyme activity curve indicated that the cell reached a maximum concentration at the 30 th hour and the enzyme activity reached the maximum value at the 36 th hour.The protease was purified with 3 steps involving ammonium sulfate precipitation,ion-exchange chromatography and hydrophobic chromatography with 8.22-fold increase in specific activity and 23.68% increase in the recovery.The molecular mass of the protease was estimated to be 25 k Da by SDS-PAGE analysis.The optimum temperature and p H for the protease activity were 50℃ and pH 10.0,respectively.The protease showed a strong stability in a wide range of pH values ranging from 6.0–11.0,and maintained 90% enzyme activity in strong alkaline environment with p H 11.0.Inhibitor trials indicated that the protease might be serine protease.But it also possessed the characteristic of metalloprotease as it could be strongly inhibited by EDTA and strongly stimulated by Mn~(2+).Evaluation of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight MS(MALDI-TOF-TOF/MS) showed that the protease might belong to the peptidase S8 family.     

Expression and enzymatic characterization of a cold-adapted β-agarase from Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp.NJ21

An agar-degrading bacterium,designated as Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ21,was isolated from an Antarctic sediment sample. The agarase gene a ga1161 from Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ21 consisting of a 2 382-bp coding region was cloned. The gene encodes a 793-amino acids protein and was found to possess characteristic features of the Glyco_hydro_42 family. The recombinant agarase(r Aga1161) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified as a fusion protein. Enzyme activity analysis revealed that the optimum temperature and pH for the purified recombinant agarase were 30–40°C and 8.0,respectively. rAga1161 was found to maintain as much as 80% of its maximum activity at 10°C,which is typical of a coldadapted enzyme. The pattern of agar hydrolysis demonstrated that the enzyme is an β-agarase,producing neoagarobiose(NA2) as the final main product. Furthermore,this work is the first proof of an agarolytic activity in Antarctic bacteria and these results indicate the potential for the Antarctic agarase as a catalyst in medicine,food and cosmetic industries.     

Purification and Characterization of An Alkaline Protease from Acetes chinensis

An alkaline protease from Acetes chinensis was purified and characterized in this study. The steps of purification include ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography with Q-sepharose Fast Flow, gel filtration chromatography with S300 and the second ion-exchange chromatography with Q-sepharose Fast Flow. The protease was isolated and purified, which was present and active on protein substrates （azocasein and casein）. The specific protease activity was 17.15 folds and the recovery was 4.67. The molecular weight of the protease was estimated at 23.2kD by SDS-PAGE. With azocasein as the susbstrate, the optimal temperature was 55℃ and the optimal pH value was 5.5. Ion Ca^2＋ could enhance the proteolytic activity of the protease, while Cu^2＋, EDTA and PMSF could inhibit its activity.     

Alkaline Protease Production by a Strain of Marine Yeasts

Yeast strain 10 with high yield of protease was isolated from sediments of saltern near Qingdao, China. The protease had the highest activity at pH 9.0 and 45℃. The optimal medium for the maximum alkaline protease production of strain 10 was 2.5 g soluble starch and 2.0 g NaNO3 in 100 mL seawater with initial pH6.0. The optimal cultivation conditions for the maximum protease production were temperature 24.5 ℃, aeration rate 8.0 L min^- 1 and agitation speed 150 r min^-1 . Under the optimal conditions, 623.1 Umg^-1 protein of alkaline protease was reached in the culture within 30 h of fermentation.     

Purification and characterization of 2-haloacid dehalogenase from marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis

2-haloacid dehalogenases constitute a group of dehalogenases which are capable of dehalogenating the halogenated organic compounds. So far, the 2-haloacid dehalogenases have been found in many bacteria, but not in Paracoccus genus. In the present study, one enzyme 2-haloacid dehalogenase(designated as Deh99), induced by DL-2-chloropropionate(DL-2-CPA), was purified from the marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis. The enzyme of Deh99 was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography(Q-Sepharose HP), and Superdex 200 gel filtration chromatography. The molecular weight of Deh99 was estimated to be 25.0 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE), and 50.0 kDa natively by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme of Deh99 stereospecifically dehalogenated L-2-CPA to produce D-lactate, with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant(Km) value of 0.21 mmol L-1 for L-2-CPA. The optimal pH and temperature for Deh99 activity were 10.0 and 40℃, respectively. The enzyme of Deh99 acted on short-carbon-chain 2-haloacids, with the highest activity towards monochloroacetate. The activity of Deh99 was slightly affected by DTT and EDTA, but strongly inhibited by Cu2+ and Zn2+. The enzyme of Deh99 shows unique substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivities compared to previously characterized 2-haloacid dehalogenases and is the reported one about purified 2-haloacid dehalogenase isolated from the bacteria of Paracoccus genus.     

Properties of Klebsiella phage P13 and associated exopolysaccharide depolymerase

The bacteriophage P13 that infects Klebsiella serotype K13 contains a heat-stable depolymerase capable of effective degradation of exopolysaccharide(EPS) produced by this microorganism. In this study, the titer of phage P13, initially 2.0 × 107 pfu mL-1, was found increasing 20 min after infection and reached 5.0 × 109 pfu mL-1 in 60 min. Accordingly, the enzyme activity of depolymerase approached the maximum 60 min after infection. Treatment at 70℃ for 30 min inactivated all the phage, but retained over 90% of the depolymerase activity. Addition of acetone into the crude phage lysate led to precipitation of the protein, with a marked increase in bacterial EPS degradation activity and a rapid drop in the titer of phage. After partial purification by acetone precipitation and ultrafiltration centrifugation, the enzyme was separated from the phage particles, showing two components with enzyme activity on Q-Sepharose Fast Flow. The soluble enzyme had an optimum degradation activity at 60℃ and pH 6.5. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the phage P13 particles were spherical with a diameter of 50 nm and a short stumpy tail. It was a double-strand DNA virus consisting of a nucleic acid molecule of 45976 bp. This work provides an efficient purification operation including thermal treatment and ultrafiltration centrifugation, to dissociate depolymerase from phage particles. The characterization of phage P13 and associated EPS depolymerase is beneficial for further application of this enzyme.     

A New κ-Carrageenase Cgk S from Marine Bacterium Shewanella sp. Kz7

A new κ-carrageenase gene cgk S was cloned from marine bacterium Shewanella sp. Kz7 by using degenerate and site-finding PCR. The gene was comprised of an open reading frame of 1224 bp, encoding 407 amino acid residues, with a signal peptide of 24 residues. Based on the deduced amino acid sequence, the κ-carrageenase Cgk S was classified into the Glycoside Hydrolase family 16. The cgk S gene was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity with a specific activity of 716.8 U mg-1 and a yield of 69%. Recombinant Cgk S was most active at 45℃ and p H 8.0. It was stable at p H 6.0–9.0 and below 30℃. The enzyme did not require Na Cl for activity, although its activity was enhanced by Na Cl. Cgk S degraded κ-carrageenan in an endo-fashion releasing tetrasaccharides and disaccharides as main hydrolysis products.     

Properties of Klebsiella Phage P13 and AssociatedExopolysaccharide Depolymerase

The bacteriophage P13 that infects Klebsiella serotype K13 contains a heat-stable depolymerase capable of effectivedegradation of exopolysaccharide （EPS） produced by this microorganism. In this study, the titer of phage P13, initially 2.0 x 107 pillmL-1, was found increasing 20rain after infection and reached 5.0 x 109 pfumL-1 in 60min. Accordingly, the enzyme activity of de-polymerase approached the maximum 60 min after infection. Treatment at 70°C for 30 rain inactivated all the phage, but retained over90% of the depolymerase activity. Addition of acetone into the crude phage lysate led to precipitation of the protein, with a markedincrease in bacterial EPS degradation activity and a rapid drop in the titer of phage. After partial purification by acetone precipitationand ultrafiltration centrifugation, the enzyme was separated from the phage particles, showing two components with enzyme activityon Q-Sepharose Fast Flow. The soluble enzyme had an optimum degradation activity at 600C and pH 6.5. Transmission electron mi-croscopy demonstrated that the phage P13 particles were spherical with a diameter of 50nm and a short stumpy tail. It was a dou-ble-strand DNA virus consisting of a nucleic acid molecule of 45976bp. This work provides an efficient purification operation in-eluding thermal treatment and ultrafiltration centrifugation, to dissociate depolymerase from phage particles. The characterization ofphage P13 and associated EPS depolymerase is beneficial for further application of this enzyme.     

PROPERTIES OF PROTEOLYTIC TOXIN OF VIBRIO ANGUILLARUM FROM DISEASED FLOUNDER

Extracellular products(ECP)produced by Vibrio anguillarum strain M3 originally isolated from diseased flounder(Paralichthys olivaceus)were prepared.ECP of M3 showed gelatinase,casinase,amylase and haemolytic activity on agarose plates.High protease activity against azocasin was detected.Bacterium M3 showed highest growth and protease activity at 25℃。The Protease present in ECP showed maximal activity at pH 8 and 55℃；was completely inactivated by application of 80℃ heat for 30 min;was completely inhibited by EDTA and HgCl2,and was partially inhibited by PMSF,SDS,MnCl2 and iodoacetic acid;but not inhibited by CaCl2 and MgCl2.The ECP was toxic to flounder fish at LD50 values of 3.1 μg protein/g body weight.The addition of HgCl2 and application of heat at 50℃ decreased the lethal toxicity of ECP.When heated at 100℃,ECP lethality to flounder was completely in-hibited.After intramuscular injection of ECP into flounder,it showed evident histopathological changes including necrosis of muscle,extensive deposition of haemosiderin in the spleen,dilated bolld vessels congested with numerous lymphocytes in the liver.These results showed that ECP protease was a lethal factor produced by the baterium V.anguillarum M3.     

Effects of temperature, pH and NaC1 on protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

The protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot Scophthalmus maximum was studied, and the optimal pH, temperature and NaCl concentration were determined for different portions of the fish＇s internal organs. The optimal activity in the fish＇s stomach was at pH of 2.2, while that in the intestinal extracts was within the alkaline range from 9.5 to 10.0. In hepatopancreas, the optimal pH was in low alkalinity at 8.5. The optimal reaction temperature was above 40℃ in stomach, intestine and hepatopancreas. With increasing temperature, the pH value increased in stomach, while in the intestine, an opposite tendency was observed due to combined effect of pH and temperature. NaCl concentration showed inhibitory impact on protein digestion in hepatopancreas. The main protease for protein digestion in turbot seemed to be pepsin. Moreover, the maximum protease activity in different segments of intestine existed in the hindgut.     

Purification and characterization of a new thermostable κ-carrageenase from the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. QY203

A new extracellular κ-carrageenase, namely CgkP, 34.0 kDa in molecular weight, was purified from Pseudoalteromonas sp. QY203. CgkP showed relatively high activity at acidities ranging from pH6.0 to pH9.0 and temperatures ranging from 30℃ to 50℃ with the highest activity at 45℃ and pH7.2. Sodium chloride increased its activity markedly, and KCl increased its activity slightly. The divalent and trivalent metal ions including Cu2+ , Ni2+ , Zn2+ , Mn2+ , Al3+ and Fe3+ significantly inhibited its activity, while Mg2+ did not. CgkP remained 70% of original activity after being incubated at 40℃ for 48 h, and remained 80% of the activity after being incubated at 45℃ for 1 h. It exhibited endo-κ-carrageenase activity, mainly depolymerizing the κ-carrageenan into disaccharide and tetrasaccharide. CgkP was more thermostable than most of previously reported κ-carrageenases with a potential of being used in industry.     

Extracellular enzymatic activities of cold-adapted bacteria from polar oceans and effect of temperature and salinity on cell growth

The potential of 324 bacteria isolated from different habitats in polar oceans to produce a variety of extracellular enzymatic activities at low temperature was investigated. By plate assay, lipase, protease, amylase, gelatinase, agarase, chitinase or cellulase were detected. Lipases were generally present by bacteria living in polar oceans. Protease-producing bacteria held the second highest proportion in culturable isolates. Strains producing amylase kept a relative stable proportion of around 30% in different polar marine habitats. All 50 Arctic sea-ice bacteria producing proteases were cold-adapted strains, however, only 20% were psychrophilic. 98% of them could grow at 3% NaCl, and 56% could grow without NaCl. On the other hand, 98% of these sea-ice bacteria produced extracellular proteases with optimum temperature at or higher than 35℃, well above the upper temperature limit of cell growth. Extracellular enzymes including amylase, agarase, cellulase and lipase released by bacteria from seawater or sediment in polar oceans, most expressed maximum activities between 25 and 35℃. Among extracellular enzymes released by bacterial strain BSw20308, protease expressed maximum activity at 40℃, higher than 35℃ of polysaccharide hydrolases and 25℃ of lipase.     

Purification and Characterization of 2-Haloacid Dehalogenasefrom Marine Bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, Isolatedfrom Marine Sponge Hymeniacidonperlevis

2-haloacid dehalogenases constitute a group of dehalogenases which are capable of dehalogenating the halogenatedorganic compounds. So far, the 2-haloacid dehalogenases have been found in many bacteria, but not in Paracoccus genus. In thepresent study, one enzyme 2-haloacid dehalogenase （designated as Deh99）, induced by DL-2-chloropropionate （DL-2-CPA）, waspurified from the marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis. The enzyme ofDeh99 was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography （Q-Sepharose HP）, and Su-perdex 200 gel filtration chromatography. The molecular weight of Deh99 was estimated to be 25.0 kDa by sodium dodecyl sul-fate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE）, and 50.0 kDa natively by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme of Deh99stereospecifically dehalogenated L-2-CPA to produce D-lactate, with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant （Kin） value of0（21 mmolL-1 for L-2-CPA. The optimal pH and temperature for Deh99 activity were 10.0 and 40°C, respectively. The enzyme ofDeh99 acted on short-carbon-chain 2-haloacids, with the highest activity towards monochloroacetate. The activity of Deh99 wasslightly affected by DTT and EDTA, but strongly inhibited by Cu2＋ and Zn2＋. The enzyme of Deh99 shows unique substrate specific-ity and inhibitor sensitivities compared to previously characterized 2-haloacid dehalogenases and is the reported one about purified 2-haloacid dehalogenase isolated from the bacteria of Paracoccus genus.     

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Lipase from Antarctic Krill

Lipase from Antarctic krill,with a molecular weight of 71.27kDa,was purified with ammonium sulfate precipitation and a series of chromatographic separations over ion exchange(DEAE)and gel filtration columns(Sephacryl S-100),resulting in 5.2%recovery with a 22.4-fold purification ratio.The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity were 8.0 and 45℃,respectively.Purified lipase had Km and Vmax values of 3.27mmolL−1 and 2.4Umg−1,respectively,using p-nitrophenyl laurate as the substrate.Lipase activity was enhanced by adding Ca2+and Mg2+ions in the concentration ranges of 0–0.5mmolL−1 and 0–0.3mmolL−1,respectively,while the activity was inhibited by a further increase in these ion concentrations.Fe3+and Cu2+ions showed obvious inhibitory effects on enzyme activity,and the inhibition rates were 71.8%and 53.3%when the ion concentrations were 0.5mmolL−1.     

Characterization of a bacteriocin-like substance produced from a novel isolated strain of Bacillus subtilis SLYY-3

In the present research, the strain SLYY-3 was isolated from sediments of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China. The strain SLYY-3, which produced a bacteriocin-like substance(BLS), was characterized to be a strain of Bacillus subtillis by biochemical profiling and 16 S r DNA sequence analysis. It is the first time to report that Bacillus subtilis from Jiaozhou Bay sediments could produce a BLS. The BLS of B. subtillis SLYY-3 exhibited strong inhibitory activity against gram-positive bacteria(including Staphylococcus aureus and B. subtillis) and some fungi(including Penicillium glaucum, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus). The antimicrobial activity was detected from culture in the exponential growth phase and reached its maximum when culture entered into stationary growth phase. It was thermo-tolerant even when being kept at 100℃ for 60 min without losing any activity and stable over a wide p H range from 1.0 to 12.0 while being inactivated by proteolytic enzyme and trypsin, indicating the proteinaceous nature of the BLS. The BLS was purified by precipitation with hydrochloric acid(HCl) and gel filteration(Sephadex G-100). SDS-PAGE analysis of the extracellular peptides of SLYY-3 revealed a bacteriocin-like protein with a molecular mass of 66 k Da. Altogether, these characteristics indicate the potential of the BLS for food industry as a protection against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms.     

Kinetic study of alkaline protease 894 for the hydrolysis of the pearl oyster Pinctada martensii

A new enzyme (alkaline protease 894) obtained from the marine extremophile Flavobacterium yellowsea (YS-80-122) has exhibited strong substrate-binding and catalytic activity, even at low temperature, but the characteristics of the hydrolysis with this enzyme are still unclear. The pearl oyster Pinctada martensii was used in this study as the raw material to illustrate the kinetic properties of protease 894. After investigating the intrinsic relationship between the degree of hydrolysis and several factors, including initial reaction pH, temperature, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, and hydrolysis time, the kinetics model was established. This study showed that the optimal conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysis were an initial reaction pH of 5.0, temperature of 30°C, substrate concentration of 10% (w/v), enzyme concentration of 2 500 U/g, and hydrolysis time of 160 min. The kinetic characteristics of the protease for the hydrolysis of P. martensii were obtained. The inactivation constant was found to be 15.16/min, and the average relative error between the derived kinetics model and the actual measurement was only 3.04%, which indicated a high degree of fitness. Therefore, this study provides a basis for the investigation of the concrete kinetic characteristics of the new protease, which has potential applications in the food industry.     

Screening and molecular classification of low-temperature protease from Antarctic microorganism and its characterization

107 strains producing protease were screened from 260 strains of Antarctic psychrophilic bacteria, among which proteolytic activity of five strains was more than 45 U ml^-1. The 16S rRNA gcne sequences homology and phylogcnetic analysis of five Antarctic psychrophillc bacteria showed that NJ276, NJS-9, NJ16-70,NJ345 belonged tO the described genus Pseudoalteromonas and NJ341 belonged to the genus Colwellia. The growth and the protease characteristic of four Antarctic psychrophilic bacteria had been studied, and the result showed that the 6ptimal temperature for growth and protease-produeing of four strains was about 10℃. Their growth and protease-produeing were still high during incubatlng 2-5 days. The maximum proteolytic activity occurred at pH 9 for four Antarctic psychrophilic bacteria. The optimal temperature of protease action of both strains NJ276 and NJ5-9 was about 50℃, however, the optimal temperature of protease aetlon of both strains NJ341 and NJ345 was about 40 ℃, and their proteolytic activity under 0℃ exhibited nearly 30% of the maximum activity, but their thermal stabilities were weaker. These results indicated that proteases from NJ341 and NJ345 were low-temperature proteases.     

Study on the Tripolyphosphatase （TPPase） Property of Bighead Carp （Aristichthys nobilis） Myosin Subfragment-1

Myosin subfragment-1 was prepared from the myofibrils of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis). The myosin subfrag- ment-1 was proved to have the activity of tripolyphosphatase (TPPase) responding to the hydrolysis of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). The optimum temperature and pH for the TPPase of myosin subfragment-1 were 30℃ and pH 5.0, and at pH 8.0 the TPPase also showed a high activity. Mg2 was necessary to TPPase. The TPPase activity of myosin subfragment-1 was activated by Mg2 under low concentrations, but was inhibited when the concentration was over 17 mmolL-1. The TPPase activity was also affected by KCl. The optimum concentration of KCl for TPPase was 0.3 molL-1 under the condition of 17 mmolL-1 Mg2 . The TPPase activity was significantly inhibited by EDTA-Na2. Reagents such as KBr, KI and KIO3 could inhibit the TPPase effectively. K2Cr2O7 as well as KMnO7 and KNO3 exhibited weak inhibiting effects. The TPPase converted STPP to pyrophosphate (PP) and orthophosphate (Pi) stoichiometrically with a KM of 3.2 mmolL-1.     

Extraction of Protease Produced by Sea Mud Bacteria and Evaluation of Antifouling Performance

Enzyme-based antifouling coatings are potential alternative to traditional tributyltin-based coatings in the marine biofouling control depended on its environmental friendliness. Proteases are usually the key antifouling active components in enzyme based antifouling coatings. In this work, based on biological antagonism effect, a marine proteolytic bacterial strain of Bacillus velezensis was isolated from the sea mud, and denoted as SM-1. The scanning electron microscope(SEM) revealed that the bacteria are rod-shaped with length 1?1.3 μm. The protease-producing conditions of SM-1 were investigated, and it was found that the culture solution displays higher proteolytic activity under the culture conditions of 35℃, 10‰?20‰ salinity, pH 6?9 and more than 7 d culture time. Moreover, the 25 kDa protein was confirmed to be the main active component in the crude protease, which was revealed via the experiment of SDS-PAGE. The antifouling assay indicated that the protease SM-1 has remarkable effect on the decomposition of barnacle cement and diatom secretion, and also can effectively inhibit the attachment of barnacle cyprids, diatom and mussel byssus. Therefore, this protease potentially can be used as environmental-friendly antifoulant of enzyme-based marine antifouling coatings, and this work also provides a new approach to obtain antifouling protease via isolating proteolytic bacteria from the sea mud surrounding representative fouling organisms.     

Cloning,Expression and Characterization of a Lipase Gene from Marine Bacterium Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica SCSIO 04301

Absract A lipase gene, lip1233, isolated from Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica SCSIO 04301, was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The enzyme comprised 810 amino acid residues with a deduced molecular weight of 80 k Da. Lip1233 was grouped into the lipase family X because it contained a highly conserved motif GHSLG. The recombinant enzyme was purified with Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The optimal temperature and p H value of Lip1233 were 45℃ and 8.0, respectively. It retained more than 70% of original activity after being incubated in p H ranging from 6.0 to 9.5 for 30 min. It was stable when the temperature was below 45℃, but was unstable when the temperature was above 55℃. Most metal ions tested had no significant effect on the activity of Lip1233. Lip1233 remained more than original activity in some organic solvents at the concentration of 30%(v/v). It retained more than 30% activity after incubated in pure organic solvents for 12 h, while in hexane the activity was nearly 100%. Additionally, Lip1233 exhibited typical halotolerant characteristic as it was active under 4M Na Cl. Lip1233 powder could catalyze efficiently the synthesis of fructose esters in hexane at 40℃. These characteristics demonstrated that Lip1233 is applicable to elaborate food processing and organic synthesis.