THERMOTOLERANT ENZYME HAVING PHOSPHATIDYL ETHANOLAMINE N-METHYL TRANSFERASE ACTIVITY

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a thermotolerant enzyme which originates from superthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus horikoshi, exerts phosphatidyl ethanolamine N-methyl transferase activity at a high optimum temperature and is useful in the synthesis or the like of a polar lipid having high optical purity. ;SOLUTION: This thermotolerant enzyme is a new thermotolerant enzyme which originates from superthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus horikoshi and exerts phosphatidyl ethanolamine N-methyl transferase activity at an optimum temperature of 90°C or above. On the substrate specificity of this enzyme, the incorporation of methyl group is recognized only in phosphatidyl N,N- dimethylethanolamine and not in phosphatidyl choline when this enzyme is acted on phosphatidyl N-monomethylethanolamine used as a substrate and further the incorporation of methyl group is recognized only in phosphatidyl N-monometjhylethanolamine and phosphatidyl N,N-dimethylethanolamine when phosphatidyl ethanolamine is used as a substrate.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2000,JPO