SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF PENICILLIN ACYLASE FROM ESCHERICHIA-COLI USING AOT REVERSE MICELLES

The extraction of penicillin acylase by reverse micellar solutions of a surfactant was studied. A 50 mM solution of dioctyl sodium sulphosuc cinate in isooctane extracted 46% of the enzyme activity in a crude pe riplasmic extract of induced cells of E. coli ATCC 9637. The increase in the specific activity of the final enzyme preparation, after stripp ing of the organic phase at pH 7.5, in the presence of 1 M KCl, was 8- fold.