Publication in Microbial Cell Factories: three new chitinases from Mestchnikowia pulcherrima

In collaboration with the group of Prof. Fernández-Lobato at CBMSO (UAM-CSIC), we have investigated three new chitinases from M. pulcherrima, MpChit35, MpChit38 and MpChit41. They were molecularly characterized and extracellularly expressed in Pichia pastoris.The three enzymes hydrolysed colloidal chitin with optimal activity at 45 ºC and pH 4.0-4.5, The partial separation and characterization of the complex COS mixtures produced from the hydrolysis of chitin and chitosan were achieved by a new anionic chromatography HPAEC-PAD method and mass spectrometry assays. An overview of the predicted structures of these proteins and their catalytic modes of action were also presented. Depicted their high sequence and structural homology, MpChit35 acted as an exo-chitinase producing di-acetyl-chitobiose from chitin while MpChit38 and MpChit41 both acted as endo-chitinases producing tri-acetyl-chitotriose as main final product.

Microbial Cell Factories 23, 31 (2024)  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-024-02300-9

Our research group in the magazine from the Spanish Society for Microbiology

In the December issue of the SEM@foro magazine from the Spanish Society for Microbiology (SEM), there is a special issue from the Specialized Group on Industrial Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, in which our Applied Biocatalysis Group is featured. You can access the full article by clicking here.