Alginate is a biopolymer with a wide range of present and potentially future applications in medicine and industry. The physicochemical properties of alginate depend on the molecular mass and the composition and distribution of its monomers �-D-mannuronic acid (M) and a-L-guluronic acid (G). Alginates are commonly described as composed of blocks of M, G and alternating M and G, with a characteristic composition depending on the source from which the alginate is derived. Various applications require alginates with specific qualities, and the availability of alginate modifying enzymes opens the possibility of producing material with tailored properties. Through the use of high throughput screening technology we are aiming at developing such alginate modifying enzymes with new and improved activities. Mutant libraries of the genes of interest are expressed in E. coli and collections in the size range of 10 000 different clones can be efficiently screened for a particular activity. Here we present successful examples of the use of this kind of strategy for developing both mannuronan C- 5 epimerases and alginate lyases.

Use of high throughput screening technology for development of alginate-modifying enzymes with novel properties

239th National Meeting (2010)

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