title: Purification of a novel fructosyltransferase from Lactobacillus reuteri strain 121 and characterization of the levan produced.
abstract: Fructosyltransferase (FTF) enzymes have been characterized from various Gram-positive bacteria, but not from Lactobacillus sp. In a screening of 182 lactobacilli for polysaccharide production only one strain, Lactobacillus reuteri strain 121, was found to produce a fructan being a levan. Here we report the first-time identification and biochemical characterization of a Lactobacillus FTF enzyme. When incubated with sucrose the enzyme produced a levan that is identical to that produced by Lb. reuteri strain 121 cells.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Physiology Research Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: van Hijum
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bonting
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van der Maarel
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dijkhuizen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005630:Fructans / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006602:Hexosyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000201:enzymology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005630:Fructans; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D013395:Sucrose; C072599:levan; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; C040074:levan fructotransferase; C021513:levansucrase