Abstract:
β-glucosidases (EC 3.2.1.21) are a group of glycosidase enzymes ( EC 3.2 ) that
catalyze the hydrolysis of β-glucosidic linkages formed between D-glucose and the
hydroxyl group of other compounds (aglycone or another glycone). These enzymes
have potential applications for the sequence determination of oligosaccharides, as well
as for oligosaccharide or glycoside synthesis by reverse hydrolysis or
transglucosylation. We have used these enzymes (Thai rosewood, almond or cassava
stem β-glucosidase) to screen for natural β-glucosides in 15 plant species. The ethanol
extract of plant tissues were incubated in the presence or absence of enzyme, and the
products separated by TLC, followed by detection under UV or spraying with 10%
H2SO4 in absolute ethanol. The results showed that β-glucosides were found in many
plants especially in Plumeria obtusa Linn, Plumeria rubra Linn and Murraya
paniculata Jack. In addition, β-glucosidases were also screened for by using its crude
substrate and other substrates e.g. arbutin and pNP-Glc. The results show that the
crude enzyme from Plumeria obtusa Linn contains hydrolytic activity to its crude
substrate and pNP-Glc. Subsequently, a β-glucosidase was purified from the flowers
Plumeria obtusa Linn by DEAE-Cellulose, Con A-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-300 and
Butyl-Sepharose chromatography. The cumulative yield and fold purification of the β-
glucosidase were 2.3 % and 143 fold, respectively. The enzyme has a molecular
weight of 180,000 in the native state, and shows 2 bands of 59,000 kDa and 67,000
kDa in the denatured state. One fluorescent band of β-glucosidase was found with pI
about 5.0 by agarose gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH of the purified β-
glucosidase detected by pNP-Glc and its natural substrate was 5.5. The Km value for
pNP-Glc and Plumeria β-glucoside were 2.9 and 0.33 mM, respectively. The enzyme
had hydrolytic activity towards pNP-β-Glc, pNP-β-Fuc, pNP-β-Gal and pNP-β-Man,
and had lower activity for other pNP-glycosides, dalcochinin-β-glucoside (the natural
substrate of Thai Rosewood β-glucosidase) and esculin, The enzyme could not
hydrolyze cyanogenic glucoside (prunasin, linamarin and amygdalin), the natural
substrate of Solanum torvum (torvoside H), disaccharides (gentiobiose), aromatic
glucosides (arbutin and salicin) and alkyl glucosides (methyl-glucosides and hexylglucosides).
The natural substrate of β-glucosidase from the flowers of Plumeria
obtusa Linn was isolated and identified. Structure elucidation of the compound was
established by NMR spectroscopic data. It is a known iridoid glucoside, namely
plumieride coumarate glucoside