Purification and characterization of a beta-glucosidase from solid-state cultures of Humicola grisea var. thermoidea

The thermophilic fungus Humicola grisea var. thermoidea produced beta-glucosidase activity when grown in a solid-state culture on wheat bran as carbon source. A beta-glucosidase was purified to apparent homogeneity by ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography on Sephacryl S-100, and ion-exchange chromatography on S-Sepharose, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) on a 12.5% (w/v) slab gel. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 82 and 156 kDa, as estimated by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration on a high performance liquid chromatographic column, respectively, suggesting that the native enzyme may consist of two identical subunits. The purified enzyme was thermostable at 60 degrees C for 1 h with a half-life of 15 min at 65 degrees C, and displayed optimum activity at 60 degrees C and a pH range. of 4.0-4.5. The Km and Vmax values for p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucopyranoside were determined to be 0.316 mM and 0.459 IU.mL-1, respectively. D-Glucose, D-gluconic acid lactone, Hg2+, Cu2+, and Mn2+ inhibited beta-glucosidase activity. The enzyme activity was competitively inhibited by D-glucose (ki = 0.6 mM). The purified enzyme was very active against cellobiose and p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucopyranoside.