Marine Enzym
413
Part B | 14.1
14. Marine Enzymes – Production and Applications
Kai Muffler, Barindra Sana, Joydeep Mukherjee, Roland Ulber
The oceans provide an almost untapped reservoir
of novel enzymes which might have a potential as
biocatalysts for academic research and for industrial processes. With regard to the broad variety
of environmental conditions, interesting enzymes
with characteristic traits can be isolated. Especially enzymes from extremophiles, which are
classified as thermophilic or psychrophilic, are
of particular interest for industrial processes in
terms of mass transfer or energy savings. Additionally, enzymes which are adapted towards high
salt concentrations may be beneficial for industrial
biotechnology applications, because the catalytic
reactions can be performed in non-diluted solutions. Up to now only a minor amount of this
treasure has found an application in the laboratory and industry. However, regarding the ongoing
progress and developments in molecular biology
it seems that the portfolio of enzymes that can
be applied for the production of bulk and fine
chemicals will be broadened in the near future.
14.1 Overview ............................................. 413
14.2 Cultivation Techniques
of Marine Bacteria ............................... 414
14.3 Examples of Marine Enzymes................ 417
14.3.1 Polysaccharide-Degrading
Enzymes ................................... 417
14.3.2 Proteases .................................. 420
14.3.3 Halogenating Enzymes............... 421
14.4 Molecular Biology ................................ 422
14.5 Downstream Processing
of Marine Enzymes............................... 422
14.6 Conclusion........................................... 424
References................................................... 425
In this chapter an exemplary overview about the
research work done on the production of enzymes
from marine origin, as well as their potential application in industrial processes is given.
14.1 Overview
The oceans provide a broad variety of marine microorganisms whose products such as enzymes and bioactive
metabolites are of interest for applications in the food
and pharmaceutical industries, as well as for the processing of renewable resources to provide raw material,
for example, for the production of biofuels. Considering the size of the marine habitats, which range
from tropical to cold polar regions and from coastal
to hydrothermal deep-sea zones, they harbor a pool
of (micro)organisms that are able to produce enzymes
with interesting traits like salt and barotolerance and/or
adaptations to high or low temperatures, which are
sometimes superior in comparison to their counterparts
produced by terrestrial microorganisms.
During its initial phase, research in marine biotechnology was mainly driven by identifying novel bioactive compounds from the micro- and macro-organisms.
The screening for novel metabolites was succeeded
within the so-called two waves. The first wave began with the identification of novel nucleosides from
the sponge Cryptotethya crypta by Bergmann more
than 60 years ago [14.1] and resulted in the production of artificial nucleosides, e.g., ara-A (vidarabine)
or ara-C (cytarabine), which are currently in use in
many antiviral formulations. The second wave was initiated in the 1970s by isolation and identification of
secondary metabolites featuring antitumoral, antiviral,
anti-inflammatory, and/or analgesic activity. The first
413
Part B | 14.1
14. Marine Enzymes – Production and Applications
Kai Muffler, Barindra Sana, Joydeep Mukherjee, Roland Ulber
The oceans provide an almost untapped reservoir
of novel enzymes which might have a potential as
biocatalysts for academic research and for industrial processes. With regard to the broad variety
of environmental conditions, interesting enzymes
with characteristic traits can be isolated. Especially enzymes from extremophiles, which are
classified as thermophilic or psychrophilic, are
of particular interest for industrial processes in
terms of mass transfer or energy savings. Additionally, enzymes which are adapted towards high
salt concentrations may be beneficial for industrial
biotechnology applications, because the catalytic
reactions can be performed in non-diluted solutions. Up to now only a minor amount of this
treasure has found an application in the laboratory and industry. However, regarding the ongoing
progress and developments in molecular biology
it seems that the portfolio of enzymes that can
be applied for the production of bulk and fine
chemicals will be broadened in the near future.
14.1 Overview ............................................. 413
14.2 Cultivation Techniques
of Marine Bacteria ............................... 414
14.3 Examples of Marine Enzymes................ 417
14.3.1 Polysaccharide-Degrading
Enzymes ................................... 417
14.3.2 Proteases .................................. 420
14.3.3 Halogenating Enzymes............... 421
14.4 Molecular Biology ................................ 422
14.5 Downstream Processing
of Marine Enzymes............................... 422
14.6 Conclusion........................................... 424
References................................................... 425
In this chapter an exemplary overview about the
research work done on the production of enzymes
from marine origin, as well as their potential application in industrial processes is given.
14.1 Overview
The oceans provide a broad variety of marine microorganisms whose products such as enzymes and bioactive
metabolites are of interest for applications in the food
and pharmaceutical industries, as well as for the processing of renewable resources to provide raw material,
for example, for the production of biofuels. Considering the size of the marine habitats, which range
from tropical to cold polar regions and from coastal
to hydrothermal deep-sea zones, they harbor a pool
of (micro)organisms that are able to produce enzymes
with interesting traits like salt and barotolerance and/or
adaptations to high or low temperatures, which are
sometimes superior in comparison to their counterparts
produced by terrestrial microorganisms.
During its initial phase, research in marine biotechnology was mainly driven by identifying novel bioactive compounds from the micro- and macro-organisms.
The screening for novel metabolites was succeeded
within the so-called two waves. The first wave began with the identification of novel nucleosides from
the sponge Cryptotethya crypta by Bergmann more
than 60 years ago [14.1] and resulted in the production of artificial nucleosides, e.g., ara-A (vidarabine)
or ara-C (cytarabine), which are currently in use in
many antiviral formulations. The second wave was initiated in the 1970s by isolation and identification of
secondary metabolites featuring antitumoral, antiviral,
anti-inflammatory, and/or analgesic activity. The first