Purification and characterization of a new endo-β-1,3-glucanase exhibiting a high specificity for curdlan for production of β-1,3-glucan oligosaccharides

Endo-β-1,3-glucanase (Endo23) was purified from a Trichoderma reesei GIMCC 3.498 fermentation broth using anion exchange and 2-stage size exclusion chromatography. Purification of 44.5× and a 12% recovery yield of enzyme activity were achieved. The Mw and isoelectric point were estimated to be 24 kDa and 3.85 using SDS-PAGE and IEF, respectively. The highest substrate specificity was observed for water-insoluble curdlan. The optimal conditions for hydrolyzing curdlan were pH 5.0 and 50°C. The main hydrolytic products were glucobiose and glucotriose. Minor amounts of glucose and glucotetraose were detected. Hg²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Sn²⁺ inhibited the hydrolysis activity of Endo23 at 5 and 50 mM. K⁺ slightly promoted Endo23 activity. Endo23 belongs to the category EC3.2.1.39. The peptide sequences of Endo23 showed identity with conserved sequences that typically exist in β-1,3-glucanases of the glycoside hydrolase family. The Endo23 sequence was partially similar to a hypothetical lignocellulase from Penicillium oxalicum 114-2.