Cellulases of Penicillium verruculosum

Biotechnol J. 2010 Aug;5(8):871-80. doi: 10.1002/biot.201000050.

Abstract

Nine major cellulolytic enzymes were isolated from a culture broth of a mutant strain of the fungus Penicillium verruculosum: five endo-1, 4-beta-glucanases (EGs) having molecular masses 25, 33, 39, 52, and 70 kDa, and four cellobiohydrolases (CBHs: 50, 55, 60, and 66 kDa). Based on amino acid similarities of short sequenced fragments and peptide mass fingerprinting, the isolated enzymes were preliminary classified into different families of glycoside hydrolases: Cel5A (EG IIa, 39 kDa), Cel5B (EG IIb, 33 kDa), Cel6A (CBH II, two forms: 50 and 60 kDa), Cel7A (CBH I: 55 and 66 kDa), Cel7B (EG I: 52 and 70 kDa). The 25 kDa enzyme was identical to the previously isolated Cel12A (EG III). The family assignment was further confirmed by the studies of the substrate specificity of the purified enzymes. High-molecular-weight forms of the Cel6A, Cel7A, and Cel7B were found to possess a cellulose-binding module (CBM), while the catalytically active low-molecular-weight forms of the enzymes, as well as other cellulases, lacked the CBM. Properties of the isolated enzymes, such as substrate specificity toward different polysaccharides and synthetic glycosides, effect of pH and temperature on the enzyme activity and stability, adsorption on Avicel cellulose and kinetics of its hydrolysis, were investigated.

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cellulases / chemistry*
  • Cellulases / genetics
  • Cellulases / metabolism
  • Cellulose / metabolism
  • Enzyme Stability
  • Fungal Proteins / chemistry*
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Kinetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Weight
  • Penicillium / enzymology*
  • Penicillium / genetics
  • Peptide Mapping
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Fungal Proteins
  • Cellulose
  • Cellulases