Characterization of EstB, a novel cold-active and organic solvent-tolerant esterase from marine microorganism Alcanivorax dieselolei B-5(T)

A novel esterase gene, estB, was cloned from the marine microorganism Alcanivorax dieselolei B-5(T) and overexpressed in E. coli DE3 (BL21). The expressed protein EstB with a predicted molecular weight of 45.1 kDa had a distinct catalytic triad (Ser(211)-Trp(353)-Gln(385)) and the classical consensus motif conserved in most lipases and esterases Gly(209)-X-Ser(211)-X-Gly(213). EstB showed very low similarity to any known proteins and displayed the highest similarity to the hypothetical protein (46 %) from Rhodococcus jostii RHA1. EstB showed the optimal activity around pH 8.5 and 20 A degrees C and was identified to be extremely cold-adaptative retaining more than 95 % activity between 0 and 10 A degrees C. The values of kinetic parameters on p-NP caproate (K (m), K (cat) and K (cat)/K (m)) were 0.15 mM, 0.54 x 10(3) s(-1) and 3.6 x 10(3) s(-1) mM(-1), respectively. In addition, EstB showed remarkable stability in several studied organic solvents and detergents of high concentrations with the retention of more than 70 % activity after treatment for 30 min. The cold activity and its tolerance towards organic solvents made it a promising biocatalyst for industrial applications under extreme conditions.