Purification of xyloglucan endotransglycosylase based on affinity sorption of the active glycosyl-enzyme intermediate complex to cellulose.

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) catalyzes the cleavage of xyloglucan (XG) molecules by a transglycosylation mechanism involving two steps: (a) endocleavage of the beta-(1,4)-linked polyglucosyl backbone of the xyloglucan molecule with formation of a glycosyl-enzyme intermediate; (b) transfer of the glycosyl residue from the intermediate to the C-4 position of the nonreducing end glucosyl unit of another molecule of XG or an XG-derived oligosaccharide with liberation of the enzyme (Z. Sulová et al., 1998, Biochem. J. 330, 1475-1480). The formation of a relatively stable active complex of XET with XG and the tendency of xyloglucan to bind tightly via hydrogen bonds to cellulose were exploited in the present method of purification of XET. Crude extracts from nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) cotyledons and other plant sources containing the enzyme were mixed with XG in order to form the XET:XG complex, which was applied onto cellulose. Unadsorbed proteins were removed by washing and the XET was released from the adsorbed XET:XG complex by transglycosylation of its glycosyl moiety to added XG-derived oligosaccharides. The described procedure resulted in an over 100-fold increase in specific activity of XET in a single step. Further purification of the enzyme to homogeneity was achieved by gel-permeation chromatography on Bio-Gel P30. Similar procedure could be used for purification of XET from other plant sources, such as lentil (Lens culinaris) seeds, pea (Pisum sativum) epicotyls, and supernatant of suspension-cultured Catharanthus roseus cells. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.