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Overexpression and characterization of a thermostable trehalose synthase from Meiothermus ruber

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Abstract

A thermostable trehalose synthase (TreS) gene from Meiothermus ruber CBS-01 was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant TreS could utilize maltose to produce trehalose, and showed an optimum pH and temperature of 6.5 and 50°C, respectively. Kinetic analysis showed that the enzyme had a twofold higher catalytic efficiency (k cat/K m) for maltose than for trehalose, indicating maltose as the preferred substrate. The TreS also had a weak hydrolytic property with glucose as the byproduct, and glucose was a strong competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. The maximum production of trehalose by the enzyme reached 65% at 20°C. The most importantly the enzyme could maintain very high activity (above 90%) at pH 4.0–8.0 and 60°C 5 h. These results provided that the stable TreS was suitable for the industrial production of trehalose from maltose in a one-step reaction.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation (No. 06YFJZJC02100), and National Innovative Experiment Project to University Students (No. 081005509).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, Nankai University, 300071, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China

    Yueming Zhu, Dongsheng Wei, Yufan Wang, Hengyi Xu, Laijun Xing & Mingchun Li

  2. Tianjin Forest and Pomology Institute, 300112, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China

    Jun Zhang

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  1. Yueming Zhu
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  2. Dongsheng Wei
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  3. Jun Zhang
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  4. Yufan Wang
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  5. Hengyi Xu
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  6. Laijun Xing
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  7. Mingchun Li
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Correspondence to Mingchun Li.

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Communicated by H. Santos.

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Zhu, Y., Wei, D., Zhang, J. et al. Overexpression and characterization of a thermostable trehalose synthase from Meiothermus ruber . Extremophiles 14, 1–8 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-009-0281-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-009-0281-z

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