Characterization of a novel exo-chitosanase, an exo-chitobiohydrolase, from Gongronella butleri.

An exo-chitosanase was purified from the culture filtrate of Gongronella butleri NBRC105989 to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by column chromatography using CM-Sephadex C-50 and Sephadex G-100. The enzyme comprised a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of approximately 47,000 according to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme exhibited optimum activity at pH 4.0, and was stable between pH 5.0 and 11.0. It was most active at 45°C, but was stable at temperatures below 30°C. The enzyme hydrolyzed soluble chitosan and glucosamine (GlcN) oligomers larger than tetramers, but did not hydrolyze N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) oligomers. To clarify the mode of action of the enzyme, we used thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to investigate the products resulting from the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of chitosan and N-acetylchitohexaose [(GlcN)-GlcNAc] with a GlcNAc residue at the reducing end. The results indicated that the enzyme is a novel exo-type chitosanase, exo-chitobiohydrolase, that releases (GlcN) from the non-reducing ends of chitosan molecules. Analyses of the hydrolysis products of partially N-acetylated chitooligosaccharides revealed that the enzyme cleaves both GlcN-GlcNAc and GlcNAc-GlcN bonds in addition to GlcN-GlcN bonds in the substrate.