Cloning, expression, and characterization of a D-psicose 3-epimerase from Clostridium cellulolyticum H10

The noncharacterized protein ACL75304 encoded by the gene Ccel_0941 from Clostridium cellulolyticum H10 (ATCC 35319), previously proposed as the xylose isomerase domain protein TIM barrel, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli . The expressed enzyme was purified by nickel-affinity chromatography with electrophoretic homogeneity and then characterized as d-psicose 3-epimerase. The enzyme was strictly metal-dependent and showed a maximal activity in the presence of Co(2+). The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were 55 °C and pH 8.0. The half-lives for the enzyme at 60 °C were 6.8 h and 10 min when incubated with and without Co(2+), respectively, suggesting that this enzyme was extremely thermostable in the presence of Co(2+) but readily inactivated without metal ion. The Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)), turnover number (k(cat)), and catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) values of the enzyme for substrate d-psicose were estimated to be 17.4 mM, 3243.4 min(-1), and 186.4 mM min(-1), respectively. The enzyme carried out the epimerization of d-fructose to d-psicose with a conversion yield of 32% under optimal conditions, suggesting that the enzyme is a potential d-psicose producer.