| dc.description.abstract | Lignocellulosic biomass represents an important renewable resource for biofuels production. Lignocellulosic biomass is comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Lignocellulosics are highly recalcitrant to enzymatic degradation and due to its complex nature a range of enzymes are required to synergistically hydrolyse biomass. Many microorganisms are capable of producing these enzymes as part of their hemicellulolytic hydrolysis system(s). The aim of this study was the characterisation of a thermophilic actinobacterial isolate (ORS10), capable of producing hemicellulosic enzymes, and the cloning and characterization of a hemicellulosic enzyme produced by the isolate. Phylogenetic analyses clustered ORS10 with species of the genus Streptomyces. BLAST analysis revealed that ORS10 was most closely related to Streptomyces achromogenes (99% identity). A small-insert genomic library was constructed and a putative acetylxylan esterase (AXEase) gene, axe10, was identified. The enzyme, Axe10, has moderate similarity to α/β hydrolase proteins, and contains an esterase/lipase superfamily conserved domain and a typical AXEase catalytic triad. The axe10 gene was sub-cloned into an expression vector [pET21a(+)] and a 28.7 kDa protein with demonstrated AXE activity was purified from E. coli Rosetta (DE3) pLysS. Axe10 displayed optimum activity at 37oC and pH 7.0. Despite being derived from a thermophilic Streptomyces species Axe10 was not thermostable. However, given the relative novelty of Axe10, further characterisation and assessment of this enzyme is warranted. | en_US |
