Studies on xylan degrading enzyme from Chainia

Production, Purification, and Characterization of β-(1-4)-Endoxylanase of Streptomyces roseiscleroticus

Twelve species of Streptomyces that formerly belonged to the genus Chainia were screened for the production of xylanase and cellulase. One species, Streptomyces roseiscleroticus ( Chainia rosea ) NRRL B-11019, produced up to 16.2 IU of xylanase per ml in 48 h. A xylanase from S. roseiscleroticus was purified and characterized. The enzyme was a debranching β-(1-4)-endoxylanase showing high activity on xylan but essentially no activity against acid-swollen (Walseth) cellulose. It had a very low apparent molecular weight of 5,500 by native gel filtration, but its denatured molecular weight was 22,600 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It had an isoelectric point of 9.5. The pH and temperature optima for hydrolysis of arabinoxylan were 6.5 to 7.0 and 60°C, respectively, and more than 75% of the optimum enzyme activity was retained at pH 8.0. The xylanase had a K m of 7.9 mg/ml and an apparent V max of 305 μmol · min -1 · mg of protein -1 . The hydrolysis rate was linear for xylan concentrations of less than 4 mg/ml, but significant inhibition was observed at xylan concentrations of more than 10 mg/ml. The predominant products of arabinoxylan hydrolysis included arabinose, xylobiose, and xylotriose.

Chemical modification of xylanases: evidence for essential tryptophan and cysteine residues at the active site

N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) completely inactivated xylanases from Chainia and alkalophilic and thermophilic (AT) Bacillus with a concomittant decrease in absorption at 280 nm and with second-order rate constants of 10,500 and 5000 M-1.min-1, respectively at pH 6.0 and 25 degrees C. The kinetic analysis of inactivation indicated that one and three tryptophan residues were essential for the xylanase activity from Chainia and Bacillus, respectively. The xylanases were also inhibited by 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide (HNBB). The modification of cysteine residues by p-hydroxymercurybenzoate (PHMB) and N-ethylmaleimide did not cause a loss in activity of the xylanase from Bacillus, whereas that from Chainia was completely inactivated. The kinetics of inactivation revealed the involvement of one cysteine residue for xylanase from Chainia with a second-order rate constant of 50,000 M-1.min-1. The PHMB-modified enzyme failed to show the presence of titrable -SH groups. Xylan afforded complete protection against inactivation by NBS, HNBB and PHMB, indicating the involvement of tryptophan and cysteine residues at the substrate-binding region of the enzyme.