Cloning, nucleotide sequence and expression of the beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene from Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24.

The beta-GlcNAcase gene of Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24 was cloned and sequenced. The gene consisted of 2505 bp encoding 835 amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence of the gene shares sequence homology with beta-GlcNAcases of Vibrio vulnificus (37.4%), Serratia marcescens (36.4%), V. harveyi (36.4%), V. parahemolyticus (33.5%), Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 (27.0%), and Candida albicans (28.6%). The beta-GlcNAcase gene of Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24 was about 630-fold overexpressed in Escherichia coli compared to that in Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24. The cloned beta-GlcNAcase had almost the same enzymatic properties as beta-GlcNAcase from no. 10S-24. The carbohydrate chain of beta-GlcNAcase from Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24 was found to contain mannose, galactose, fucose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and several other unknown saccharides.