Functional characterization and crystal structure of thermostable amylase from Thermotoga petrophila, reveals high thermostability and an unusual form of dimerization.

Thermostable α-amylases have many industrial applications and are therefore continuously explored from novel sources. We present the characterization of a novel putative α-amylase gene product (Tp-AmyS) cloned from Thermotoga petrophila. The purified recombinant enzyme is highly thermostable and able to hydrolyze starch into dextrin between 90 and 100°C, with optimum activity at 98°C and pH8.5. The activity increased in the presence of Rb, K and Ca ions, whereas other ions inhibited activity. The crystal structure of Tp-AmyS at 1.7Å resolution showed common features of the GH-13 family, however was apparently found to be a dimer. Several residues from one monomer interacted with a docked acarbose, an inhibitor of Tp-AmyS, in the other monomer, suggesting catalytic cooperativity within the dimer. The most striking feature of the dimer was that it resembled the dimerization of salivary amylase from a previous crystal structure, and thus could be a functional feature of some amylases.