Purification of New β-Galactosidase fromEnterococcus faeciumMTCC 5153 with Transgalactosylation Activity

Purification and biochemical characterization of a new thermostable laccase from Enterococcus faecium A2 by a three-phase partitioning method and investigation of its decolorization potential

Three-phase partitioning (TPP) is a simple, fast, cost-effective, and highly efficient process that can be used in the purification of laccases. In this study, microorganisms with laccase activity were isolated from water samples collected from the Agri-Diyadin hot spring. The isolate with the highest laccase activity was found to be the A2 strain. As a result of molecular (16S rRNA sequence) and conventional (morphological, biochemical, and physiological) analyses, it was determined that the A2 isolate was 99% similar to Enterococcus faecium (Genbank number: MH424896). The laccase was purified to 4.9-fold with 110% recovery using the TPP. The molecular mass of the enzyme was found by SDS-PAGE to be 50.11 kDa. Optimum pH 6.0 and optimum temperature for laccase were determined as 80 °C. The laccase exhibited pH stability over a wide range (pH 3.0-9.0) and a high thermostability, retaining over 90% of its activity after 1 h of incubation at 20-90 °C. The laccase exhibited high thermostability, with a heat inactivation half-life of approximately 24 h at 80 °C. The enzyme remained highly stable in the presence of surfactants and increased its activity in the presence of organic solvents, Cr²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ag⁺ metal ions. The K_m, V_max, k_cat, and k_cat/K_m values of laccase for 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) substrate were 0.68 mM, 5.29 μmol mL^-1 min^-1, 110.2 s^-1, and 162.1 s^-1 mM^-1, respectively.

β-galactosidase-catalyzed synthesis of galactosyl chlorphenesin and its characterization

We synthesized galactosyl chlorphenesin (CPN-G) using β-gal-containing Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells in which the conversion yield of chlorphenesin (CPN) to CPN-G reached about 64 % during 12 h. CPN-G was identified and characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis ((1)H and (13)C). We verified that a galactose was covalently bound to a CPN alcohol group during CPN-G synthesis throughout these analyses. In particular, by the hydrolysis of CPN-G using β-gal, it was confirmed that a galactose was bound to CPN. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) results showed that the CPN-G MICs were fairly similar to those of CPN. HACAT cell viability was significantly higher in CPN-G-treated cells than in CPN-treated cells at concentrations of 0.0-20.0 mM. Finally, we accomplished the synthesis of less toxic CPN-G, compared with CPN, using β-gal-containing E. coli cells as whole cells without changes in the MICs against microorganisms.