α-L-Rhamnosidases play important roles in the metabolism of plant cell walls, glycosides and bacterial biofilms. This enzyme is also used industrially for debittering citrus fruits by releasing rhamnose from the plant flavonoid naringin. Bacillus sp. GL1 α-l-rhamnosidase (RhaB) is a member of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 78. Native and selenomethionine-derivative enzymes were crystallized at 293 K by hanging-drop vapour diffusion with polyethylene glycol 8000 as a precipitant. This is the first report of the crystallization of a family GH78 enzyme.

Seven organophosphorus pesticide-degrading bacteria harboring the methyl parathion degrading (mpd) gene were isolated from a methyl parathion contaminated site. In this study, the 4.7 kb mpd gene cluster, conserved in all seven bacteria capable of degrading methyl parathion, was cloned and further analysis revealed that this cluster contained five ORFs and the mpd gene was associated with a mobile element, IS6100. In addition to mpd gene ORF and tnpA ORF, three other ORFs showed high homology to the permease component of ABC-type transport system, the general secretion pathway protein B, and the RNA polymerase sigma 70 factor, respectively. The mpd genes of these 7 strains were subcloned and expressed in E. coli, SDS-PAGE and zymogram analysis showed that two expression products of mpd genes in E. coli were found, but the one without signal peptide showed the hydrolytic activities. Our evidences collectively suggest that mpd gene cluster may be disseminated through horizontal gene transfer based on phylogenetic analysis of the cluster and their host bacterial strains, and comparisons of GC content of the cluster and respective host’s chromosome.

A facilitative and efficient promoter-trapping vector, pUC-mpd, was constructed with the promoterless methyl parathion hydrolase gene as the reporter. This reporter gene is easily used to clone promoters with different promoting strength on selective plates. Promoter regions of the ytkA and ywoF genes with strong promoting and signal peptide functions were cloned from the Bacillus subtilis 168 genomic promoter library with this vector.

A degradative bacterium, M6, was isolated and presumptively identified as Plesiomonas sp. strain M6 was able to hydrolyze methyl parathion to p-nitrophenol. A novel organophosphate hydrolase gene designated mpd was selected from its genomic library prepared by shotgun cloning. The nucleotide sequence of the mpd gene was determined. The gene could be effectively expressed in Esherichia coli.

通过热变性、硫酸铵沉淀、DEAE-Sephadex-A50阴离子交换层析和CM Sephamse Fast Flow阳离子交换层析等一系列步骤从有机磷农药降解菌Plesiomonas sp. M6中获得了甲基对硫磷水解酶(Methvl parathion hydrolase, MPH, EC 3.1.8.3)的电泳纯。酶谱显示和SDS-PAGE电泳表明纯化的酶只有一条条带，其分子量约为33kD。该酶热稳定性比较高，55℃、15min处理后酶活保持稳定，最适反应pH为9.0，最适反应温度在10℃左右。动力学分析表明其对甲基对硫磷的米氏常数(Km)为2.14mmol/L，最大反应速度(Vmax)为14.08μmol/L. min，转换数(kcat)为2863s-1。