Abstract
A copper-inducible laccase activity was detected in Thermus thermophilus HB27. The enzyme was partially purified and separated by SDS-PAGE. After staining, a gel slice containing a ~53-kDa protein was excised and treated with trypsin, and the in-gel digests were analyzed by mass spectrometry. By mass fingerprinting, the peptides were found to share identity with the TTC1370 protein of the thermophile, which was tentatively annotated as a laccase in the whole genome analysis, albeit experimental evidence was lacking. The assigned mass nearest to the N-terminal sequence was that from Gln23 to Lys31. By signal peptide prediction, TTC1370 protein was assumed to be a secretory protein starting from Gln23. The DNA encoding the mature protein was then cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme, expressed as an apoprotein, was dialyzed against copper-containing buffer to yield a holoprotein. The holoprotein was purified to homogeneity, which displayed a blue color typical of laccases and oxidized canonical laccase substrates such as guaiacol and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate). The enzyme was most notable for its striking thermophilicity; the optimal reaction temperature was ~92°C and the half-life of thermal inactivation at 80°C was >14 h, ranking it as the most thermophilic laccase reported thus far.
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Abbreviations
- ABTS:
-
2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate)
- MALDI-TOF MS:
-
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry
- SGZ:
-
Syringaldazine
- Tth-laccase:
-
Laccase from Thermus thermophilus HB27
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Miyazaki, K. A hyperthermophilic laccase from Thermus thermophilus HB27. Extremophiles 9, 415–425 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-005-0458-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-005-0458-z