Production by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A of an Enzyme Which Cleaves Aromatic Acids from Lignocellulose.

The lignocellulose-degrading actinomycete Streptomyces viridosporus T7A produced an extracellular esterase when grown in a mineral salts-yeast extract medium. Extracellular esterase activity was first detected during the late stationary phase and typically followed the appearance of intracellular activity. When the organism was grown in lignocellulose-supplemented medium, esterase activity was not increased, but lignocellulose-esterified p-coumaric acid and vanillic acid were released into the medium. Polyacrylamide gels showed that several extracellular esterases differing in substrate specificity were produced. Ultrafiltration was used to concentrate the esterase prior to purification. Activity was recovered mostly in the molecular weight fraction between 10,000 and 100,000. Concentrated esterase was further purified by DEAE-Sepharose anion-exchange chromatography to a specific activity 11.82 times greater than that in the original supernatant. There were seven detectable esterase active proteins in the partially purified enzyme solution. Three were similar esterases that may be isoenzymes. The partially purified esterase had a pH optimum for activity of 9.0, a temperature optimum of 45 to 50 degrees C, and a K(m) and V(max) of 0.030 mM and 0.097 mumol/min per ml, respectively, when p-nitrophenyl butyrate was the substrate. The enzyme was unstable above 40 degrees C but retained activity when stored at 4 or -20 degrees C. It lost some activity (20%) when lyophilized. Substrate specificity assays showed that it hydrolyzed ester linkages of p-nitrophenyl butyrate, alpha-naphthyl acetate, alpha-naphthyl butyrate, and lignocellulose. Vanillic and p-coumaric acids were identified as products released from lignocellulose. The enzyme is thought to be a component of the lignocellulose-degrading enzyme system of S. viridosporus.