Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of gene alyPI encoding an alginate lyase from marine bacterium...

The alginate lyase encoding gene (alyPI) of marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. CY24 was cloned using a battery of PCR techniques. Gene alyPI was composed of a 1575 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 57.4 kDa containing 524 amino acid residues with a signal peptide of 23 amino acids. The AlyPI protein was expressed in Escherichia coli with a His-tag sequence fused at the C-terminal end and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using Ni-sepharose affinity chromatography. AlyPI was most active at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0 in the presencce of 0.1 mol/L NaCl and stable over a broad range of pH, 6.0-10.6. The presence of Na+, K+, Mn2+, Ca2+, and Fe3+ can enhance the enzyme activity. The alginate lyase consensus region YFKAGXYXQ, regarded as a striking feature at the C termini of several alginate lyase of ~30 kDa, was found in AlyPI, which belongs to the ~60 kDa group. Another nine amino acid consensus region, YXRSELREM, only found in G-specific alginate lyases previously existed in AlyPI, which could degrade sodium alginate, M blocks, and G blocks and appeared to be a broad substrate-specific alginate lyase.