Partial purification and characterization of alpha-glucosidase from Rothia dentocariosa

Disaccharidases of oral bacteria, especially alpha-glucosidase and beta-fructofuranosidase, are considered to play an important role in the induction of dental caries. Upon the examination of disaccharidases from several strains of saccharolytic oral bacteria, we found all of those bacteria to be capable of hydrolyzing the glycosidic linkage of sucrose. One species of bacteria, Rothia dentocariosa, was found to contain a single disaccharidase, alpha-glucosidase. This enzyme was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration and ion-exchange column chromatography. The optimum pH and temperature for the enzyme activity was found to be 6.8-7.0 and 40 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by Ag+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Fe2+ and Tris (Hydroxymethyl) aminomethane.