Haloalkaliphilic maltotriose-forming alpha-amylase from the archaebacterium Natronococcus sp. strain Ah-36.

A haloalkaliphilic archaebacterium, Natronococcus sp. strain Ah-36, produced extracellularly a maltotriose-forming amylase. The amylase was purified to homogeneity by ethanol precipitation, hydroxylapatite chromatography, hydrophobic chromatography, and gel filtration. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 74,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amylase exhibited maximal activity at pH 8.7 and 55 degrees C in the presence of 2.5 M NaCl. The activity was irreversibly lost at low ionic strength. KCl, RbCl, and CsCl could partially substitute for NaCl at higher concentrations. The amylase was stable in the range of pH 6.0 to 8.6 and up to 50 degrees C in the presence of 2.5 M NaCl. Stabilization of the enzyme by soluble starch was observed in all cases. The enzyme activity was inhibited by the addition of 1 mM ZnCl2 or 1 mM N-bromosuccinimide. The amylase hydrolyzed soluble starch, amylose, amylopectin, and, more slowly, glycogen to produce maltotriose with small amounts of maltose and glucose of an alpha-configuration. Malto-oligosaccharides ranging from maltotetraose to maltoheptaose were also hydrolyzed; however, maltotriose and maltose were not hydrolyzed even with a prolonged reaction time. Transferase activity was detected by using maltotetraose or maltopentaose as a substrate. The amylase hydrolyzed gamma-cyclodextrin. alpha-Cyclodextrin and beta-cyclodextrin, however, were not hydrolyzed, although these compounds acted as competitive inhibitors to the amylase activity. Amino acid analysis showed that the amylase was characteristically enriched in glutamic acid or glutamine and in glycine.     

Purification, partial characterization, and covalent immobilization–stabilization of an extracellular α-amylase from Aspergillus niveus

An extracellular amylase secreted by Aspergillus niveus was purified using DEAE fractogel ion exchange chromatography and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration. The purified protein migrated as a single band in 5 % polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and 10 % sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme exhibited 4.5 % carbohydrate content, 6.6 isoelectric point, and 60 and 52 kDa molar mass estimated by SDS-PAGE and Bio-Sil-Sec-400 gel filtration column, respectively. The amylase efficiently hydrolyzed glycogen, amylose, and amylopectin. The end-products formed after 24 h of starch hydrolysis, analyzed by thin layer chromatography, were maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, and maltopentaose, which classified the studied amylase as an α-amylase. Thermal stability of the α-amylase was improved by covalent immobilization on glyoxyl agarose (half-life of 169 min, at 70 °C). On the other hand, the free α-amylase showed a half-life of 20 min at the same temperature. The optima of pH and temperature were 6.0 and 65 °C for both free and immobilized forms.     

Purification and Properties of Extracellular Amylase from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus profundus DT5432

A hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus profundus DT5432, produced extracellular thermostable amylases. One of the amylases (amylase S) was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Toyopearl chromatography, and gel filtration on Superdex 200HR. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 42,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amylase exhibited maximal activity at pH 5.5 to 6.0 and was stable in the range of pH 5.9 to 9.8. The optimum temperature for the activity was 80(deg)C. Half-life of the enzyme was 3 h at 80(deg)C and 15 min at 90(deg)C. Thermostability of the enzyme was enhanced in the presence of 5 mM Ca(sup2+) or 0.5% soluble starch at temperatures above 80(deg)C. The enzyme activity was inhibited in the presence of 5 mM iodoacetic acid or 1 mM N-bromosuccinimide, suggesting that cysteine and tryptophan residues play an important role in the catalytic action. The amylase hydrolyzed soluble starch, amylose, amylopectin, and glycogen to produce maltose and maltotriose of (alpha)-configuration as the main products. Smaller amounts of larger maltooligosaccharides were also produced with a trace amount of glucose. Pullulan; (alpha)-, (beta)-, and (gamma)-cyclodextrins; maltose; and maltotriose were not hydrolyzed.     

Beta-Amylases from Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Roots

Amylase was found in high activity (193 international units per milligram protein) in the tap root of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Sonora). The activity was separated by gel filtration chromatography into two fractions with molecular weights of 65,700 (heavy amylase) and 41,700 (light amylase). Activity staining of electrophoretic gels indicated the presence of one isozyme in the heavy amylase fraction and two in the light amylase fraction. Three amylase isozymes with electrophoretic mobilities identical to those in the heavy and the light amylase fractions were the only amylases identified in crude root preparations. Both heavy and light amylases hydrolyzed amylopectin, soluble starch, and amylose but did not hydrolyze pullulan or β-limit dextrin. The ratio of viscosity change to reducing power production during starch hydrolysis was identical for both alfalfa amylase fractions and sweet potato β-amylase, while that of bacterial α-amylase was considerably higher. The identification of maltose and β-limit dextrin as hydrolytic end-products confirmed that these alfalfa root amylases are all β-amylases.     

Detection of alpha-amylase activity in unprocessed preamylase produced in the cell-free translation of porcine pancreatic RNA

Preamylases, synthesized in the RNA-dependent rabbit reticulocyte lysate translation system supplemented with porcine pancreatic RNA were identified by their specific immunoprecipitation with anti-amylase. The preamylases have apparent Mr = 55,000 and 58,000 as compared to 52,000 and 55,000 for the purified, secreted alpha-amylase isozymes. In order to establish whether the unprocessed precursors may assume enzymatically active conformations, we have explored a highly sensitive activity gel electrophoresis technique, by which picogram quantities of enzyme can be detected. When standard alpha-amylase and translation products are subjected to electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel containing 0.01% starch and CaCl2, active amylase which binds tightly to starch can only migrate as the starch is hydrolyzed. When the gel is subsequently stained with I2, the appearance of clear tracks, the lengths of which are roughly proportional to the logarithm of amylase concentration, signifies the presence of amylase activity. By this approach, we were able to detect amylase activity in a range corresponding to about 100 pg of pure amylase/10 microliters of translation mixture. This value agrees well with an estimate from radioactivity incorporation of total preamylase in the translation mixture, and we consequently conclude that unprocessed preamylase can assume the appropriate conformation to give enzymatic activity.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of a novel SDS and surfactant stable,raw starch digesting,and halophilic α-amylase from a moderately halophilic bacterium,Nesterenkonia sp. strain F

An extracellular halophilic α-amylase from Nesterenkonia sp. strain F was purified to homogeneity by 80% ethanol precipitation, Q-Sepharose anion exchange and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration chromatography, with a 10.8-fold increase in specific activity. The molecular mass of the amylase was estimated to be 100 kDa and 106 kDa by SDS–PAGE and gel filtration chromatography, respectively. The enzyme showed maximal activity at pH 7.5 and 45 °C. The amylase was active in a wide range of salt concentrations (0–4 M) with its maximum activity at 0.5 M NaCl or 1 M KCl and was stable at the salts concentrations between 1 M and 4 M. Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Al³⁺ strongly inhibited the enzyme, whereas Ca²⁺ stimulated the amylase activity. The α-amylase was inhibited by EDTA, but was not inhibited by PMSF and β-mercaptoethanol. The enzyme showed remarkable stability towards 0.5% SDS and sarcosyl, and 2% each of Triton X-100, Tween 80 and Tween 20. K_m value of the amylase for soluble starch was 4.5 mg/ml. The amylase hydrolyzed 38% of raw wheat starch and 20% of corn starch in a period of 48 h. The major products of soluble starch hydrolysis were maltose, maltotriose and maltotetraose, indicating an α-amylase activity.     

Cloning and expression of raw-starch-digesting alpha-amylase gene from Bacillus circulans F-2 in Escherichia coli

The raw potato-starch-digesting alpha-amylase gene of Bacillus circulans F-2 was cloned for the first time in Escherichia coli C600, using plasmid pYEJ001. The recombinant plasmid, named pYKA3, has a 5.4 kb insert from a chromosome of the donor bacterium. Subcloning of this amylase gene gave plasmid pHA300 which carried 3.15 kb of the inserted DNA. The transformed bacterium, E. coli C600 (pYKA3), produced the amylase in the periplasmic space, whereas it is secreted outside the cell in the donor bacterium. The cloned raw-starch-digesting alpha-amylase has a molecular weight of 93,000 on SDS-PAGE, and its action pattern was absolutely the same as that of the potent raw-starch-digestible amylase produced by B. circulans F-2. The periplasmic amylase produced by the transformed E. coli (pHA300) could digest raw starch granules such as potato, corn and barley raw starch granules, indicating that the raw-starch-digesting amylase is active in E. coli. Furthermore, this amylase crossreacted with the rabbit antiserum raised against the raw potato-digesting alpha-amylase of B. circulans F-2. From these results it was concluded that the cloned amylase is the same amylase protein as B. circulans F-2 amylase, which has a potent raw-starch digestibility. Thus, this paper is to our knowledge the first describing the molecular cloning of raw-starch-digesting alpha-amylase from Bacillus species and its successful expression in E. coli.     

Dark hydrogen fermentation from hydrolyzed starch treated with recombinant amylase originating from Caldimonas taiwanensis On1

Starch is one of the most abundant resources on earth and is suited to serve as a cost-effective feedstock for biological hydrogen production. However, producing hydrogen from direct fermentation of starch is usually inefficient, as the starch hydrolysis is often the rate-limiting step. Therefore, in the present work, enzymatic starch hydrolysis was conducted to enhance the feasibility of using starch feedstock for H2 production. The amylase (with a molecular weight of ca. 112 kDa) used for starch hydrolysis was produced from a recombinant E. coli harboring an amylase gene originating from Caldimonas taiwanensis On1. Using statistical experimental design, the optimal pH and temperature for starch hydrolysis with the recombinant amylase was pH 6.86 and 52.4 degrees C, respectively, at an initial starch concentration of 7 g/L. The hydrolyzed products contained mainly glucose, maltotriose, and maltotetrose, while a tiny amount of maltose was also detected. The enzymatically hydrolyzed products of soluble starch and cassava starch were used as the substrate for dark hydrogen fermentation using Clostridium butyricum CGS2 and Clostridium pasteurianum CH4. The highest H2 production rate (vH2) and yield (YH2) of C. butyricum CGS2 was 124.0 mL/h/L and 6.32 mmol H2/g COD, respectively, both obtained with the hydrolysate of cassava starch. The best H2 production rate (63.0 mL/h/L) of C. pasteurianum CH4 occurred when using hydrolyzed cassava starch as the substrate, whereas the highest yield (9.95 mmol H2/g COD) was obtained with the hydrolyzed soluble starch.     

A technique for the effective enrichment and isolation of Bacillus thuringiensis

Abstract The Neurospora crassa exo -1 mutant produced maximum extracellular glucoamylase activity in media supplemented with starch as the sole carbon source. The apparent molecular mass of the enzyme was 82 kDa (SDS-PAGE and gel filtration). The enzyme was a glycoprotein with 5.1 % carbohydrate content and exhibited a temperature optimum of 60 °C. The pH optima were 5.4 and 5.0 for glucoamylase and maltase activities, respectively. Cu²⁺ inhibited maltase activity while Mn²⁺ stimulated glucoamylase activity. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed branched substrates more efficiently than linear substrates. Starch was the best substrate utilized and amylose was hydrolyzed faster than maltose. Kinetic experiments suggested that maltose and starch were hydrolyzed at the same catalytic site.     

Multiple Shoot Formation from Almond Seeds and an Excised Single Shoot

An amylase which produces maltotriose from starch as the main product was found in the culture filtrate of a strain of Bacillus subtilis newly isolated from soil. The enzyme was purified to almost complete homogeneity, as judged by disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, by means of ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sepharose column chromatography and Sephadex gel filtration.

The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were around 6~7 and 50°C, respectively. Metal ions such as Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Fe²⁺ strongly inhibitied the enzyme activity. The molecular weight was found to be about 25,000 by gel filtration. The yields of maltotriose from short-chain amylose (DP 17), amylopectin, soluble starch and glycogen were about 69, 56, 56 and 40%, respectively.     

Amylase in the thyroid gland

Amylase activity detected in thyroid extracts was significantly higher than that of normal sera. A starch film technique revealed the existence of amylase activity in the follicular lumen and on the follicular epithelia. By electrophoretic analysis of thyroid extracts, 4 bands of amylase activity were observed, one being of the same mobility as parotid and the other 3 more anodic. Amylase extracted from the thyroid appeared in the same position as pancreatic or parotid amylase on Sephadex G75 gel filtration. The possibility is discussed that the thyroid may synthesize amylase of salivary type, which is secreted from the follicular epithelia into the follicular lumen, where it may be transformed into anionic forms.     

Purification and characterization of an alpha-glucosidase from germinating millet seeds

An α-glucosidase (α-d-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.20) was isolated from germinating millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) seeds by a procedure that included ammonium sulfate fractionation, chromatography on CM-cellulofine/Fractogel EMD SO₃, Sephacryl S-200 HR and TSK gel Phenyl-5 PW, and preparative isoelectric focusing. The enzyme was homogenous by SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 86,000 based on its mobility in SDS-PAGE and 80,000 based on gel filtration with TSKgel super SW 3000, which showed that it was composed of a single unit. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 8.3. The enzyme readily hydrolyzed maltose, malto-oligosaccharides, and α-1,4-glucan, but hydrolyzed polysaccharides more rapidly than maltose. The K_m value decreased with an increase in the molecular weight of the substrate. The value for maltoheptaose was about 4-fold lower than that for maltose. The enzyme preferably hydrolyzed amylopectin in starch, but also readily hydrolyzed nigerose, which has an α-1,3-glucosidic linkage and exists as an abnormal linkage in the structure of starch. In particular, the enzyme readily hydrolyzed millet starch from germinating seeds that had been degraded to some extent.     

Purification and some properties of a Haim-sensitive alpha-amylase from newly isolated Bacillus sp. No. 195.

Newly isolated Bacillus sp. No. 195 produced an extracellular alpha-amylase sensitive to Haim which was found to inhibit specifically animal alpha-amylases. The enzyme was purified easily by two steps of starch adsorption and gel filtration using Sephacryl S-200. The purified enzyme, which showed a single band on native-PAGE or SDS-PAGE, had a molecular weight of 60,000 as judged on SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH value for activity and the isoelectric point were around 7.0 and 4.5, respectively. The sensitivity of the amylase to Haim was similar to that of animal amylase rather than bacterial amylase. It was suggested that a Haim-amylase complex might be formed at the molar ratio of 1:1. The amino acid sequence F-S-W similar to the triplet F-E-W highly conserved among alpha-amylases sensitive to proteinaceous inhibitors, such as Hoe 467-A or Haim, was found in the amino-terminal part of the No. 195 amylase.     

Purification of beta-amylase from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seeds

An amylase from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. c.v. Moapa) seeds was purified by column chromatography and gel filtration, followed by chromatofocusing on Mono P HR 5/20. The last step was effective for separation of the alfalfa amylase to a homogeneous state. The purified amylase was identified as beta-amylase from the fact that only beta-maltose was formed by the enzymatic degradation of soluble starch. The molecular weight and specific activity of the beta-amylase (E1%(280 nm) = 18.3) were determined to be 61,000 and 1,077 A.U./mg, respectively. The beta-amylase activity was inhibited by the modification of sulfhydryl groups with p-chloromercuribenzoic acid. The optimum pH and isoelectric point of alfalfa beta-amylase were 7.0 and 4.8, respectively, which were different from other plant beta-amylases.     

Structural Analysis of Sydowic Acid by X-ray Diffraction

Streptomyces sp. No. 280 produced several kinds of amylase inhibitors (amylase inhibitor A, B, B' and C). Two amylase inhibitors (designated as AI-A₁ and AI-A₂) were obtained from an amylase inhibitor A fraction by paper chromatography. AI-A₁ inhibited muscle phosphorylase a much more than AI-A₂ and was hydrolyzed by sweet potato β-amylase whereas AI-A₂ was not. Both amylase inhibitors had a carbohydrate and were hydrolyzed by some kinds of amylases or acids. They lost their inhibitory activity against phosphorylase a after treatment with acids or hog pancreatic α-amylase, but they showed increased inhibitory activity toward porcine small intestinal sucrase.

Both AI-A₁ and AI-A₂ were composed of glucose and a basic moiety which gave a positive ninhydrin reaction. The molecular weights of AI-A₁ and AI-A₂ were estimated to be approximately 1300 ? 1500 by gel filtration on a Sephadex G-15 column. The nitrogen content of the amylase inhibitors was found to be about 1.3% by elementary analysis     

Purification and characterization of an extracellular glucoamylase from the yeastCandida tsukubaensis CBS 6389

The starch-degrading yeastCandida tsukubaensis CBS 6389 secreted amylase at high activity when grown in a medium containing soluble starch. The extracellular α-amylase activity was very low. The major amylase component was purified by DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography and Ultrogel AcA 44 gel filtration and characterized as a glucoamylase. The enzyme proved to be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 56000. The glucoamylase had a temperature optimum at 55°C and displayed highest activity in a pH range of 2.4–4.8. Acarbose strongly inhibited the purified glucoamylase. Debranching activity was present as demonstrated by the release of glucose from pullulan.     

Regulation of Amylase Synthesis in Bacillus circulans F-2

In the usual batch cultivation, Bacillus circulans F-2 produced amylase only when granular carbon sources such as raw starch or crosslinked starches (CLP) were added. In the dialysis cultivation, where CLP and partially purified amylase were incubated inside the dialysis tubing, the bacterium inoculated outside of the tubing grew and produced the amylase. Amylase production of this bacterium was further investigated in feeding cultivation, in which maltose was fed to the cultivation medium at various rates. The bacterial growth increased with the increase of the feeding rate of maltose, but maximum amylase production was observed at a feeding rate of 45 mg/hr/1. No amylase was produced on the media containing monosaccharides, sucrose, lactose, or isomaltose in the feeding cultivation although bacterial growth was observed. The amylase of this bacterium was found to be inducible. Replacement of 20% of the maltose with glucose resulted in a great decrease (70%) in the amylase production. This shows that the amylase synthesis of B. circulans F-2 is severely repressed by glucose.     

Biochemical characterization of alpha-amylase from the yeast Cryptococcus flavus

During our screening of amylolytic microorganisms from Brazilian fruits, we isolated a yeast strain classified as Cryptococcus flavus. When grown on starch-containing medium this strain exhibited the highest amylase production after 24 h of cultivation. The extracellular amylase from C. flavus was purified from the culture broth by a single step using chromatography on a Sephacryl S-100 column. The enzyme was purified 16.14-fold with a yield of 50.21% of the total activity. The purified enzyme was a glycoprotein with an apparent molecular mass of 75 and 84.5 kDa as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration, respectively. The enzyme lost approximately 50% of the molecular mass after treatment with glycosidases. The major end products of starch, amylose, amylopectin, pullulan and glycogen were maltose and maltotriose. The K(m) value for the pure enzyme was 0.056 mg ml(-1) with soluble starch as the substrate. Enzyme activity was optimal at pH 5.5 and 50 degrees C. The enzyme retained 90% of the activity after incubation at 50 degrees C for 60 min and was inhibited by Cu(2+), Fe(2+) and Hg(2+).     

Purification and properties of starch hydrolyzing enzymes in mature roots of sugar beets

Mature roots of sugar beets, which accumulate large amounts of sucrose but not starch, nevertheless contained acid and neutral amylases, judging from their pH optima, as well as pullulanase. Acid and neutral amylases were partially purified by procedures including fractionation with ammonium sulfate, ion exchange column chromatography, and gel filtration. Acid amylase was classified as an exoamylase, since it produced only glucose from soluble starch, amylopectin. β-limit dextrin, and rabbit liver glycogen. Neutral amylase was classified as an endoamylase, since it liberated maltose as the main product plus a small amount of glucose and oligosaccharides, and was capable of hydrolyzing β-limit dextrin. Pullulanase was purified to apparent homogeneity by procedures including fractionation with ammonium sulfate, Diethylaminoethyl-cellulose column chromatography and affinity chromatography. Pullulanase was capable of hydrolyzing soluble starch, amylopectin, β-limit-dextrin, and pullulan. Debranching of amylopectin was further evident by an increase in extinction coefficient, and by a shift of λ_max from 530 to 560 nm when the debranched amylopectin formed a complex with I₂-KI.     

Structural relationship between the enzymatic and streptococcal binding sites of human salivary alpha-amylase

Previous studies have demonstrated that human salivary alpha-amylase specifically binds to the oral bacterium Streptococcus gordonii. This interaction is inhibited by substrates such as starch and maltotriose suggesting that bacterial binding may involve the enzymatic site of amylase. Experiments were performed to determine if amylase bound to the bacterial surface possessed enzymatic activity. It was found that over one-half of the bound amylase was enzymatically active. In addition, bacterial-bound amylase hydrolyzed starch to glucose which was then metabolized to lactic acid by the bacteria. In further studies, the role of amylase's histidine residues in streptococcal binding and enzymatic function was assessed after their selective modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate. DEP-modified amylase showed a marked reduction in both enzymatic and streptococcal binding activities. These effects were diminished when DEP modification occurred in the presence of maltotriose. DEP-modified amylase had a significantly altered secondary structure when compared with native enzyme or amylase modified in the presence of maltotriose. Collectively, these results suggest that human salivary alpha-amylase may possess multiple sites for bacterial binding and enzymatic activity which share structural similarities.