Title:A Thermostable Aluminum-Tolerant Protease Produced by Feather-Degrading Bacillus thuringiensis Isolated from Tea Plantation
Volume: 28
Issue: 5
Author(s): Tianwen Wang*, Chen Liang, Sha Xiao, Li Li*, Hongju Xu, Yafei An, Mengyuan Zheng and Lu Liu
Affiliation:
- College of Life Sciences, and Institute for Conservation and Utilization of Agro-Bioresources in Dabie Mountains, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000,China
- Fujian Provincial University Engineering Research Center of Industrial Biocatalysis, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007,China
Keywords:
Thermostability, serine protease, keratinase, Al3+ resistance, Mn2+ activation, organic activation, DMSO activation.
Abstract:
Background: Proteases with keratinolytic activity are widely used in biotechnologies.
The feather-degrading Bacillus thuringensis isolated from soil sample of a tea plantation produced
high level of extracellular keratinase.
Objective: This study aimed to analyze the properties by biochemical and enzymological methods
to gain information for better utilization of the enzyme.
Methods: The enzyme was purified with ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. The
substrate preference, optimal pH and temperature, and the effects of organic solvents and ions were
checked. Circular dichroism was performed to compare the secondary structures of the native and
apo-enzyme.
Results: The enzyme worked best at 50°C, and it was an acidic serine protease with an optimal pH
of 6.2. Ions Ca2+ and Mg2+ were essential for its activity. Organic solvents and other metal ions generally
deactivated the enzyme in a concentration-dependent manner. However, Mn2+ and DMSO,
which were frequently reported as inhibitors of protease, could activate the enzyme at low concentration
(0.01 to 2 mmol/L of Mn2+; DMSO <2%, v/v). The enzyme exhibited high resistance to
Al3+, which might be explained by the soil properties of its host’s residence. Circular dichroism confirmed
the contribution of ions to the structure and activity.
Conclusion: The enzyme was a thermostable aluminum-tolerant serine protease with unique biochemical
properties.