AmyJ33, an α-amylase isolated from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JJC33M, has been characterized as a non-metalloenzyme that hydrolyzes raw starch. In this work, the gene that codifies for AmyJ33 was isolated and cloned. The recombinant α-amylase (AmyJ33r) produced had a molecular weight of 72 kDa, 25 kDa higher than the native α-amylase (AmyJ33). Our results suggest that the C-terminal was processed in a different way in the native and the recombinant enzyme causing the difference observed in the molecular weight. Additionally, the enzyme activity, specificity and biochemical behavior were affected by this larger C-terminal extra region in AmyJ33r, since the enzyme lost the ability to hydrolyze raw starch compared to the native but increased its thermal stability and pH stability, and modified the profile of activity toward alkaline pH. It is suggested that the catalytic domain in recombinant enzyme, AmyJ33r, could be interfered or blocked by the amino acids involved in the C-terminal additional region producing changes in the enzyme properties.
Keywords: Alkaliphilic enzymes; Bacillus amyloliquefaciens; Soluble starch; α-Amylase.