CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A SUCRASE FROM LEUCONOSTOC-MESENTEROIDES

A sucrase gene from Leuconostoc mesenteroides was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The cloned enzyme did not show dextransucrase or sucrose phosphorylase activity. HPLC and GC-MS analyses of the sucras e products indicated the presence of fructose and glucose in equimolar amounts. IPTG induction did not increase sucrase activity in E. coli indicating that the cloned gene may be transcribed from its own promot er. To our knowledge, this is the first sucrase cloned from L. mesente roides that has invertase activity.