PURIFICATION OF LEVAN FRUCTOTRANSFERASE FROM ARTHROBACTER NICOTINOVORANS GS-9 AND PRODUCTION OF DFA-IV FROM LEVAN BY THE ENZYME

A bacterial strain, GS-9, isolated from soil as a levan-degrading micr oorganism produced an extracellular enzyme that converted levan into D FA IV, This strain was identified as Arthrobacter nicotinovorans. The DFA IV-producing enzyme was specifically induced by levan, The enzyme was purified 60-fold from culture supernatant to give a single band on SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of this enzyme was 52,000 by SDS-PAGE and a monomer by gel filtration, The enzyme gave DFA IV as a main prod uct (> 75%), and fructose, levanbiose, and two unidentified oligosacch arides as minor products, and was identified as a novel levan fructotr ansferase.