Characterization and modelling of thermostable GH50 agarases from Microbulbifer elongatus PORT2

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Contributors

Abstract

Viewing the considerable potential of marine agar as a source for the sustainable production of energy as well as naturederived pharmaceutics, this work investigated the catalytic activity of three novel GH50 agarases from the mesophilic marine bacterium Microbulbifer elongatus PORT2 isolated from Indonesian coastal seawaters. The GH50 agarases AgaA50, AgaB50, and AgaC50 were identified through genome analysis; the corresponding genes were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). All recombinant agarases hydrolyzed β-p-nitrophenyl galactopyranoside, indicating β-glycosidase characteristics. AgaA50 and AgaB50 were able to cleave diverse natural agar species derived from Indonesian agarophytes, indicating a promising tolerance of these enzymes for substrate modifications. All three GH50 agarases degraded agarose, albeit with remarkable diversity in their catalytic activity and mode of action. AgaA50 and AgaC50 exerted exolytic activity releasing differently sized neoagarobioses, while AgaB50 showed additional endolytic activity in dependence on the substrate size. Surprisingly, AgaA50 and AgaB50 revealed considerable thermostability, retaining over 75% activity after 1-h incubation at 50 °C. Considering the thermal properties of agar, this makes these enzymes promising candidates for industrial processing.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numbers10126-021-10065-0
Number of pages12
JournalMarine biotechnology : an international journal on the molecular and cellular biology of marine life and its technological applications
Volume2021
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-2912-546X/work/142238749

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals