title: Cloning, sequencing and overexpression of a Rhodothermus marinus gene encoding a thermostable cellulase of glycosyl hydrolase family 12.
abstract: A gene library from the thermophilic eubacterium Rhodothermus marinus, strain ITI 378, was constructed in pUC18 and transformed into Escherichia coli. Of 5400 transformants, 3 were active on carboxymethylcellulose. Three plasmids conferring cellulase activity were purified and were all found to contain the same cellulase gene, celA. The open reading frame for the celA gene is 780 base pairs and encodes a protein of 260 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 28.8 kDa. The amino acid sequence shows homology with cellulases in glycosyl hydrolase family 12. The celA gene was overexpressed in E. coli when the pET23, T7 phage RNA polymerase system was used. The enzyme showed activity on carboxymethylcellulose and lichenan, but not on birch xylan or laminarin. The expressed enzyme had six terminal histidine residues and was purified by using a nickel nitrilotriacetate column. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 6-7 and its highest measured initial activity at 100 degrees C. The heat stability of the enzyme was increased by removal of the histidine residues. It then retained 75% of its activity after 8 h at 90 degrees C.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halldórsdóttir
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Thórólfsdóttir
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spilliaert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Thorbjarnardóttir
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palsdottir
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Hreggvidsson
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kristjánsson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Holst
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eggertsson
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D002480:Cellulase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006088:Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D002480:Cellulase