Abstract

The extracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)(PHB) depolymerase of Penicilliyum pinophilum ATCC 9644 was purified and characterized. When Penicillum sp. was grown in basal salt medium with PHB as a sole carbon source, higher temperature favored fungal mycelial growth (37℃>30℃>25℃), but enzyme production was lower ar 37℃ than at any other temperatures. The PHB depolymerase was purified using Sepharose CL06B and Sephacryl S0100HR column chromatography. The isolated enzyme was found to be composed of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of about 35 kDa. The optimum condition for the enzyme was pH 6.0 and 50℃, Enzyme activity decreased sharply at temperatures above 50℃. The enzyme was found to be stable in the pH range of 2.0~10.0.1mM Fe^2+ reduced the enzyme activity by 55% abd 4 mM Fe^2+ inhibited it almost completely. The PHB depolymerase (10U) degraded 47% of solvent cast PHB film, while commercial lipase (1000U) of Rhizopus arrhizus degraded 10% of the same specimen, over a period of 48 hours.

• Keywords: poly(3-hydroxybutyrate); depolymerase; Penicillium pinophilum