Purification and characterization of intracellular alpha-L-rhamnosidase from Pseudomonas paucimobilis FP2001

alpha-L-Rhamnosidase was extracted and purified from the cells of Pseudomonas paucimobilis FP2001 with a 19.5% yield. The purified enzyme, which was homogeneous as shown by SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing, had a molecular weight of 112,000 and an isoelectric point of 7.1. The enzyme activity was accelerated by Ca2+ and remained stable for several months when stored at -20 C. The optimum pH was 7.8; the optimum temperature was 45 degrees C. The Km, V(max) and k(cat) for p-nitrophenyl alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside were 1.18 mM, 92.4 microM x min(-1) and 117,000 x min(-1), respectively. Examination of the substrate specificity using various synthetic and natural L-rhamnosyl glycosides showed that this enzyme had a relatively broader substrate specificity than those reported so far.