Purification and characterization of dextranase from Penicillium cyclopium CICC-4022 and its degradation of dextran

A dextranase was purified from Penicillium cyclopium CICC-4022 by ammonium sulfate fractionation and secondary tangential flow filtration, and the enzymatic properties were studied. The purified dextranase was used to regulated the molecular mass and homogeneity of dextran. Weight-average molecular mass (Mw) and polydispersity index (Mw/Mn) of dextran were measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) coupled with a triple-detector array (GPC-TDA), which is composed of a multiple-angle light scattering, a viscometer, and a refractive-index detector. The dextranase was purified by 2.24-fold, the recovery rate was 45.84%, the specific activity was 1442.05 U/mg, and the Mw was 77 KDa. Dextranase showed maximum activity at pH of 5.0 and 55 °C. Na+, K+ and NH4+ can effectively improve the dextranase activity, Cu2+ and Pb2+ can strongly inhibit the dextranase activity. Dextranase specifically degraded the α-1,6 glycosidic bonds of dextran. By controlling the dextranase activity, substrate concentration, and time, the specific Mw dextran with good homogeneity was obtained. The structure of dextran was not altered before or after dextranase hydrolysis, but its conformation changed from a spherical chain to a compliant chain. When the Mw of the dextran product was about 5 KDa, it was a compact spherical chain conformation in solution.