Purification and Properties of a New Thermostable Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase from Bacillus pseudalcaliphilus 8SB

A new cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase, EC 2.4.1.19) from an alkaliphilic halotolerant Bacillus pseudalcaliphilus 8SB was studied in respect to its γ-cyclizing activity. An efficient conversion of a raw corn starch into only two types of cyclodextrins (β- and γ-CD) was achieved by the purified enzyme. Crude enzyme obtained by ultrafiltration was purified up to fivefold by starch adsorption with a recovery of 62% activity. The enzyme was a monomer with a molecular mass 71 kDa estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and native PAGE. The CGTase exhibited two pH optima, at pH 6.0 and 8.0, and was at most active at 60 °C and pH 8.0. The enzyme retained more than 80% of its initial activity in a wide pH range, from 5.0 to 11.0. The CGTase was strongly inhibited by 15 mM Cu 2+ , Fe 2+ , Ag + , and Zn 2+ , while some metal ions, such as Ca 2+ , Na + , K + , and Mo 7+ , exerted a stimulating effect in concentration of 5 mM. The important feature of the studied CGTase was its high thermal stability: the enzyme retained almost 100% of its initial activity after 2 h of heating at 40–60 °C; its half-life was 2 h at 70 °C in the presence of 5 mM Ca 2+ . The achieved 50.7% conversion of raw corn starch into 81.6% β- and 18.4% γ-CDs after 24 h enzyme reaction at 60 °C and pH 8.0 makes B. pseudalcaliphilus 8SB CGTase industrially important enzyme for cyclodextrin production.