Poster: Enzymology

Abs # 245: Alkaline phytase from lily pollen: purification and biochemical and genomic characterization

Presenter:	Dhagat, Bakul , bdhagat@mtu.edu
Authors	Dhagat, Bakul  (A)   Garchow, Barry G (A)   Jog, Sonali P. (A)   Podila, Gopi K. (B)   Murthy, Pushpalatha P.N. (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Michigan Technological University (B): University of Alabama, Huntsville

Phytases are the primary enzymes responsible for the hydrolysis of phytic acid (myo-inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate). A number of phytases varying in substrate specificity, pH optima and specificity of hydrolysis have been identified. In this poster, the purification of alkaline phytase from the pollen grains of Lilium longiflorum will be described. Alkaline phytase has been purified to homogenity by a five-step process involving heat precipitation, salt precipitation, anion exchange chromatography, chromatofocussing and native-PAGE. Biochemical properties including substrate specificity, pH optima, thermostability, and effect of divalent cations will be presented. Peptide sequence data has been obtained from the purified enzyme. The isolation and characterisation of alkaline phytase gene will be presented.