Purification and characterization of novel, thermostable and non-processive GH5 family endoglucanase from Fomitopsis meliae CFA 2

Endoglucanases from glycoside hydrolase family 5 (GH5) are the key enzymes in degradation of diverse plant polysaccharides. Present study reports purification, characterization and partial sequencing of novel thermostable GH5 family endoglucanase from a newly isolated brown rot fungi Fomitopsis meliae CFA 2. Endoglucanase was purified 34.18 fold with a specific activity of 302.90 U/mg. The molecular weight of the endoglucanase was 37.87 kDa as determined by SDS PAGE. LC MS/MS analysis identified the protein to be a member of GH5_5 family. The temperature and pH optima for endoglucanase activity were 70 °C and 4.8, respectively. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of carboxymethyl-cellulose with a Km of 12.0 mg/ml, Vmax of 556.58 μmol/min/mg and Kcat of 129.41/sec. The enzyme was stimulated by Zn+2 and K+ metal ions and DTT. Half-life (t1/2) for endoglucanase was found to be 11.36 h with decimal reduction time (D) of 37.75 h at 70 °C. The activation energy for endoglucanase was found to be 30.76 kJ/mol (50 °C–70 °C). Looking at the results, the endoglucanase from Fomitopsis meliae CFA 2 seems to be a promising thermostable enzyme which may be applicable in applications like biomass hydrolysis.