L-asparaginase from Erwinia carotovora. An improved recovery and purification process using affinity chromatography

A large-scale process was developed to purify L-asparaginase from submerged cultures of Erwinia carotovora. Cells from 880 L of fermentation broth were harvested and washed using a plate and frame type filter press. A cellular acetone powder was prepared from the washed cells by suspending the cells twice in acetone and the residual acetone was removed by washing the acetone powder in the filter press with 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The cellular acetone powder was extracted with 10 mM borate buffer at pH 9.5. The enzyme-rich borate extract was recovered by filtration and clarified by an in-line bag filter. The filtrate was adjusted to pH 7.5 and filtered through a 1-micron bag filter precoated with Celite and then through a 0.22-micron cartridge filter. The cell-free extract, containing 21 x 10(6) IU of enzyme and 448 g of total protein, was applied to an L-asparagine Sepharose 6 Fast Flow affinity column (9 L) using a bag filter loaded with Cell Debris Remover as an in-line prefilter. The affinity gel was prepared by coupling L-Asn at pH 9.0 to epoxy-activated Sepharose 6 Fast Flow beads. A total of 14 x 10(6) IU of enzyme (35 g protein) was eluted at pH 9.0 in 10.5 L. The eluted enzyme was determined to be greater than 90% pure using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The total process time from whole broth to affinity column elution was 68 h and the enzyme yield was 38%. This improved process for the 880 L fermentation broth produced a cell-free extract of high specific activity, shortened the process time, increased the column capacity, and yielded a product with high purity.