PRODUCTION, PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF EXTRACELLULAR L-ASPARAGINASE FROM SALT MARSH FUNGAL ENDOPHYTES

L-asparaginase is a therapeutic enzyme which plays a vital role in treating different forms of cancer. The aim of this study is to optimize the production of L-asparaginase by endophytic fungi isolated from Salt marsh plant (Sueada maritime) occurring along the vellar estuary of southeast coast of India. Out of the 17 isolates, eight were showed positive L-asparaginase enzyme production. Among them, Aspergillus sp. showed maximum (35.28 U/ml) enzyme activity and Aspergillus sp. mycelial growth was positive significant correlation with enzyme production. In this present study, maximum enzyme productivity was observed on 5 th day and the optimized fermentation parameters: pH 7 (32.25 U/ml), temperature 30°C (28.45 U/ml) and incubation period of 5 day (35.72 U/ml). The yield was also high in glucose (26.5 U/ml), ammonium Sulphate (24.6 U/ml) and Wheat bran (32.9 U/ml). The partially purified enzyme was subjected to protein profiling by SDS-PAGE and the molecular weight of the protein have 40 KDa.