To screen and identify a chitosanase with high stability, we cloned the chitosanase gene from Bacillus atrophaeus with a high protease yield from the barren saline-alkali soil and expressed this gene in Escherichia coli. The expressed chitosanase of B. atrophaeus (BA-CSN) was purified by nickel-affinity column chromatography. The properties including optimal temperature, optimal pH, substrate specificity, and kinetic parameters of BA-CSN were characterized. The results showed that BA-CSN had the molecular weight of 31.13 kDa, the optimal temperature of 55 ℃, the optimal pH 5.5, and good stability at temperatures below 45 ℃ and pH 4.0-9.0. BA-CSN also had good stability within 4 h of pH 3.0 and 10.0, be activated by K⁺, Na⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Co²⁺, (especially by Mn²⁺), and be inhibited by Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ag⁺. BA-CSN showcased the highest relative activity in the hydrolysis of colloidal chitosan, and it had good hydrolysis ability for colloidal chitin. Under the optimal catalytic conditions, BA-CSN demonstrated the Michaelis constant K_m and maximum reaction rate V_max of 9.94 mg/mL and 26.624 μmoL/(mL·min), respectively, for colloidal chitosan. In short, BA-CSN has strong tolerance to acids and alkali, possessing broad industrial application prospects.
Bacillus/genetics* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Glycoside Hydrolases/biosynthesis* ; Substrate Specificity ; Enzyme Stability ; Chitosan/metabolism* ; Temperature ; Kinetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Bacterial Proteins/biosynthesis* ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics*