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Expression and Characterization of a New Thermostable Esterase from Clostridium thermocellum

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Abstract

The thermostable esterase from the thermophilic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum DSM 1313 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography. Its molecular weight was approximately 35 kDa according to 12 % sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. The enzyme exhibited the highest specific activity with p-nitrophenyl butyrate (285 s−1 mM−1). The activity of the esterase was greatest at 65 °C, and the esterase maintained residual activity levels of 70 and 50 % after 3 h incubation at 65 and 70 °C, respectively. Its activity was optimal at pH 7.0, was enhanced in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+, and was inhibited by Ni2+ and Cu2+. The addition of surfactants, such as Tween-20, Tween-80, Triton X-100, and SDS, at concentrations of 5 % (v/v) significantly inhibited the lipolytic action of the esterase. Enzyme activity was relatively stable in 10 % methanol, and 50 % residual activity was seen in 10 % DMSO, demonstrating its potential in biodiesel production and industrial applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2011CBA00800), the Open Funding Project of National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, and the Key Agriculture Support Project of Jiangsu Province, China (No. BE2013400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Tianxi Zhang, Huayou Chen, Zhong Ni, Rui Tian, Jinru Jia, Zhi Chen & Shengli Yang

  2. National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10090, China

    Huayou Chen

  3. Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA

    Huayou Chen

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  1. Tianxi Zhang
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Correspondence to Huayou Chen.

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Zhang, T., Chen, H., Ni, Z. et al. Expression and Characterization of a New Thermostable Esterase from Clostridium thermocellum . Appl Biochem Biotechnol 177, 1437–1446 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-015-1824-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-015-1824-7

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