• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.1 s.81
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• pp.6-11
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• 2007

[ $\beta$ ]-Fructofuranosidases, a family 32 of glycoside hydrolases (GH32), share three conserved domains including the W(L/M)(C/N)DP(Q/N), FRDPK, and ECP(D/G) motifs. The functional role of the conserved acidic residues within three domains of levan fructotransferase, one of the $\beta-fructofuranosidases$, from Microbacterium sp. AL-210 was studied by site-directed mutagenesis. Each mutant was overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified by using Hi-Trap chelating affinity chromatography and fast performance liquid chromatography. Substitution of Asp-63 by Ala, Asp-195 by Asn, and Glu-245 by Ala and Asp decreased the enzyme activity by approximately 100-fold compared to the wild-type enzyme. This result indicates that three acidic residues Asp-63, Asp-195, and Glu-245 play a major role in catalysis. Since the three acidic residues are present in a conserved position in inulinase, levanase, levanfructotransferase, and invertase, they are likely to have a common functional role as nucleophile, transition state stabilizer, and general acid in $\beta-fructofuranosidases$.