Production and amplification of an L-asparaginase gene from actinomycete isolate Streptomyces ABR2

Abstract

L-Asparaginase is used as a therapeutic molecule for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). It is also used in the food industry to remove acrylamide from fried starch-based foods. In an attempt to identify novel organisms as sources of this enzyme, 32 different actinomycetes isolates were obtained from soil samples near Vallabh Vidyanagar, India. From these 32 isolates, 11 L-asparaginasepositive isolates were obtained with a rapid plate assay method. The maximum L-asparaginase producing strain was identified as Streptomyces sp. by 16S r-RNA sequencing. The effect of inoculum size, pH and L-asparagine concentration on L-asparaginase production was also checked. An increase in L-asparaginase activity from 12.5 IU/mL to 18.8 IU/mL was found. The gene coding for L-asparaginase (~800 bp) was isolated from Streptomyces sp. ABR2. © 2012 Springer-Verlag and the University of Milan.