Purification and some properties of an α-amylase glucoamylase fusion protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A fusion gene containing the Bacillus subtilis α-amylase gene and Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase cDNA was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The resulting bifunctional fusion protein having both α-amylase and glucoamylase activities secreted into the culture medium was purified to apparent homogeneity by affinity chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 150 kDa and showed an optimum pH and temperature of 6.0 and 60 °C, respectively. The main hydrolysis products from soluble starch were glucose and maltose.