Production, purification and characterization of glucose oxidase from a newly isolated strain of Penicillium pinophilum

A number of nutritional factors influencing growth and glucose oxidase (EC 1.1.3.4) production by a newly isolated strain of Penicillium pinophilum were investigated. The most important factors for glucose oxidase production were the use of sucrose as the carbon source, and growth of the fungus at non-optimal pH 6.5. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity with a yield of 74%, including an efficient extraction step of the mycelium mass at pH 3.0, cation-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The relative molecular mass (M _r) of native glucose oxidase was determined to be 154 700 ± 4970, and 77 700 for the denatured subunit. Electron-microscopic examinations revealed a sandwich-shaped dimeric molecule with subunit dimensions of 5.0 × 8.0 nm. Glucose oxidase is a glycoprotein that contains tightly bound FAD with an estimated stoichiometry of 1.76 mol/mol enzyme. The enzyme is specific for d-glucose, for which a K _m value of 6.2 mM was determined. The pH optimum was determined in the range pH 4.0–6.0. Glucose oxidase showed high stability on storage in sodium citrate (pH 5.0) and in potassium phosphate (pH 6.0), each 100 mM. The half-life of the activity was considerably more than 305 days at 4 °C and 30 °C, and 213 days at 40 °C. The enzyme was unstable at temperatures above 40 °C in the range pH 2.0–4.0 and at a pH above 7.0. Received: 18 November 1996 / Received revision: 3 March 1997 / Accepted: 7 March 1997