Enhancement of isomerization activity and lactulose production of cellobiose 2-epimerase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus

Industrial application of Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus cellobiose 2-epimerase (CsCE) for lactulose synthesis is limited by low enzyme activity and formation of epilactose as by-product. After four sequential rounds of random mutagenesis and screening, an optimal mutant G4-C5 was obtained. Compared with wild type (WT) enzyme, mutant G4-C5 demonstrated 2.8- and 3.0-fold increases in specific activity and kcat/Km for lactulose production, respectively, without compromising thermostability. DNA sequencing of mutant G4-C5 revealed five amino acid substitutions, namely, R5M, I52V, A12S, K328I and F231L, which were located on the protein surface, except for the mutation I52V. The yield of lactulose catalyzed by mutant G4-C5 increased to approximately 76% with no obvious epilactose detected, indicating that mutant G4-C5 was more suitable for lactulose production than the WT enzyme.