Production of a fungal polygalacturonase and its application in biotechnology

MOLINA, F.; SAMPIETRO, D.A.; SOBERÓN, J.R.; SGARIGLIA, M.A.; QUIROGA, E.N.; VATTUONE, M.A.

Tucumán (Argentina)

Congreso; XXII Annual Scientific Meeting of Tucuman Biology Society; 2006

Tucuman Biology Society (publicado en Bio Cell 30 (1), 215, 2006)

Pectinolytic enzymes are very useful in the industry for the extraction, purification and liquefaction of fruit juices and wines, to macerate plant fibres and fruits, etc. They are clasiffied in three main groups: lyases, hydrolases and esterases. The polygalacturonases (PGs) are hydrolases and according to their function   can be endoPGs (EC 3.2.1.16) or exo-PGs (EC 3.2.1.67). Many filamentous fungi are frequently used in the commercial production of polygalacturonases. The purpose of this work was the production and charaterization of an exo-polygalacturonase from Pycnophorus sanguineus and the study of its use in biotechnological processes.    The highest yields of the PG activity was obtained in liquid medium at pH 4.8 and pectin as carbon source. Its MW is 40 KDa. The TLC analysis of the products of the enzyme action on polygalacturonic acid and pectin showed that the enzyme is an exo-PG which main product is polygalacturonic acid. The enzyme is stable at pH 3.5-8 being its optimum at 4.8. It works at temperatures up to 65 ºC and has a Kmap = 2.20 mg/ml for polygalacturonic acid and 2.88 mg/ml for pectin. Consequently, this enzyme would be an useful tool for the processing of materials rich in galacturonases.