Aims: Subtilisin, a serine protease, is a key player in many industrial applications especially in the detergent industry. Most reported subtilisins originate from mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms. Only scarce information about cold-active subtilisins from psychrophilic microbes is available. Here we describe the isolation, cloning and in silico characterisation of a gene encoding subtilisin in the obligate psychrophilic yeast, Glaciozyma antarctica PI12. Methodology and results: A full-length cDNA from Glaciozyma antarctica encoding subtilisin (GaSUB) was isolated through Reverse-Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. The open reading frame of GaSUB comprised 1,125 nucleotides encoding 375 amino acids. The GaSUB amino acid sequence had 49% sequence identity with a subtilisin from the yeast, Puccinia striiformis. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the GaSUB protein contains a domain that represents the S8 domain of the largest protease family. The predicted model of GaSUB protein using MODELLER and Pymol software revealed that this enzyme has longer loops and less intramolecular interactions between amino acid residues as compared to its mesophilic and thermophilic counterparts. These characteristics are known to help in protein flexibility and stability in cold-active enzymes. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Bioinformatics characterisations suggested that this enzyme is uniquely adapted to cold environments. Further work using amplified cDNA will be conducted to confirm the catalytic function of this enzyme.

Aims: The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is widely used to express foreign proteins fused to secretion signals. As the effect of the expression host on the final protein product is unclear, we compared the properties of an endoglucanase (eglB of Aspergillus niger) expressed in two different P. pastoris strains. Methodology and results: Full-length cDNA encoding endoglucanase of A. niger strain ATCC10574 was isolated and expressed in P. pastoris X33 (the methanol utilisation plus phenotype, Mut+) and P. pastoris GS115 (slow methanol utilisation, MutS). EglB-GS115 showed the highest activity and stability at 60 °C while EglB-X33 was most active at 50 °C. EglB-X33 was active towards other substrates such as arabinogalactan, guar gum and locust bean gum besides its specific substrate, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). However, EglB-GS115 was only active on CMC. The affinity of EglB-X33 towards CMC (Km = 7.5 mg/mL and specific activity 658 U/mg) was higher than that of EglB-GS115 (Km = 11.57 mg/mL, specific activity 144 U/mg). Conclusion, significance and impact of study Although eglB was cloned in the same expression vector (pPICZαC), two different characteristics of enzymes were recovered from the supernatant of the different hosts. Thus, expression of recombinant enzyme in different P. pastoris strains greatly affects the physical structure and biochemical properties of the enzyme.