Purification and some properties of a thermostable DNA polymerase from a Thermotoga species
A stable DNA polymerase (EC 2.7.7.7) has been purified from the extremely thermophilic eubacterium Thermotoga sp. strain FjSS3-B.1 by a five-step purification procedure. First, the crude extract was treated with polyethylenimine to precipitate nucleic acids. The endonuclease activity coprecipitated. DEAE-Sepharose, CM-Sephrarose, and hydroxylapatite column chromatography were used to purify the preparation. As a final step on a small scale, preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used. The purified DNA polymerase exhibited a molecular weight of 85 000, as determined by both SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and size-exclusion chromatography. Its pH optimum was in the range pH 7.5–8. When assayed over the temperature range 30–80 °C, the maximum activity in a 30-min assay was at 80 °C. The enzyme was moderately thermostable and exhibited half-lives of 3 min at 95 °C and 60 min at 50 °C in the absence of substrate. Several additives such as Triton X-100 enhanced thermostability. During storage at 4 °C and −70 °C, the stability of the enzyme was improved by the addition of gelatin.Key words: DNA polymerase, thermostable enzyme, Thermotoga.