GH57 amylopullulanase from Desulfurococcus amylolyticus JCM 9188 can make highly branched cyclodextrin via its transglycosylation activity.

Desulfurococcus amylolyticus is an anaerobic and hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon that can use various carbohydrates as energy sources. We found a gene encoding a glycoside hydrolase family 57 amylolytic enzymes (DApu) in a putative carbohydrate utilization gene cluster in the genome of D. amylolyticus. This gene has an open reading frame of 1,878 bp and consists of 626 amino acids with a molecular mass of 71 kDa. Recombinant DApu (rDApu) completely hydrolyzed pullulan to maltotriose by attacking α-1,6-glycosidic linkages, and was able to produce glucose and maltose from soluble starch and amylopectin. Although rDApu showed no activity toward α-cyclodextrin (CD) and β-CD, maltooctaose (G8) was detected from reaction with γ-CD. The highest activity of rDApu was measured at pH 5.0 and 95 °C. The half-life of rDApu was 12.7 h at 95 °C and 27 min at 98 °C. Interestingly, rDApu was able to transfer a maltose unit to 6-O-α-maltosyl-β-CD via transglycosylation. Structure analysis using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS and nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that the new transglycosylated products were 6, 6-di-O-maltosyl-β-CD and 6, 6, 6-tri-O-maltosyl-β-CD.