A novel dextranase gene from the marine bacterium Bacillus aquimaris S5 and its expression and characteristics

Dextranase specifically hydrolyzes dextran and is used to produce functional isomalto-saccharide prebiotics. Moreover, dextranase is used as an additive in mouthwash to remove dental plaque. We cloned and expressed the dextranase gene of the marine bacterium Bacillus aquimaris S5. The length of the BaDex gene was 1788 bp, encoding 573 amino acids. Using bioinformatics to predict and analyze the amino acid sequence of BaDex, we found the isoelectric point and instability coefficient to be 4.55 and 29.22, respectively. The average hydrophilicity (GRAVY) was -0.662. The secondary structure of BaDex consisted of 145 alpha helices, accounting for 25.31% of the protein; 126 extended strands, accounting for 21.99%; and 282 random coils, accounting for 49.21%. The 3D structure of the BaDex protein was predicted and simulated using SWISS-MODEL, and BaDex was classified as a Glycoside Hydrolase Family 66 protein. The optimal temperature and pH for BaDex activity were 40°C and 6.0, respectively. The hydrolysates had excellent antioxidant activity, and 8 U/mL of BaDex could remove 80% of dental plaque in MBRC experiment. This recombinant protein thus has great promise for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.