Production of Chiral (R)-3-Hydroxyoctanoic Acid Monomers, Catalyzed by Pseudomonas fluorescens GK13 Poly(3-Hydroxyoctanoic Acid) Depolymerase

The extracellular medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (MCL-PHA) depolymerase of Pseudomonas fluorescens GK13 catalyzes the hydrolysis of poly(3-hydroxyoctanoic acid) [P(3HO)]. Based on the strong tendency of the enzyme to interact with hydrophobic materials, a low-cost method which allows the rapid and easy purification and immobilization of the enzyme has been developed. Thus, the extracellular P(3HO) depolymerase present in the culture broth of cells of P. fluorescens GK13 grown on mineral medium supplemented with P(3HO) as the sole carbon and energy source has been tightly adsorbed onto a commercially available polypropylene support (Accurel MP-1000) with high yield and specificity. The activity of the pure enzyme was enhanced by the presence of detergents and organic solvents, and it was retained after treatment with an SDS-denaturing cocktail under both reducing and nonreducing conditions. The time course of the P(3HO) hydrolysis catalyzed by the soluble and immobilized enzyme has been assessed, and the resulting products have been identified. After 24 h of hydrolysis, the dimeric ester of 3-HO [(R)-3-HO-HO] was obtained as the main product of the soluble enzyme. However, the immobilized enzyme catalyzes almost the complete hydrolysis of P(3HO) polymer to (R)-3-HO monomers under the same conditions.