갈조류 유래의 다당류인 laminarin을 기질로써 호열성 미생물인 Pyrococcus furiosus의 $eta$-1,3-glucanase와 반응 시킨 뒤, 분해산물을 yeast를 이용한 알코올 발효과정을 통하여 에탄올을 생산하고자 하는 연구를 수행하였다. 33 kDa (297 a.a, 894 bp)의 재조합 $eta$-1,3-glucanase를 대장균에게 발현 후 순수하게 정제 하였으며, 정제한 $eta$-1,3-glucanase와 laminarin을 반응시킨 결과 단당을 포함하여 oligo당 형태로 분해됨을 TLC와 HPLC로써 확인하였다. 그리고 이러한 분해산물을 에탄올 생산 배지의 유일한 탄소원으로써 첨가하여 yeast를 배양한 결과 48시간뒤에는 세포 외로 최소 0.3%의 알코올을 생산함을 gas chromatography로써 확인하였다. 따라서 $eta$-1,3-glucanase와 laminarin의 최적 분해반응 및 yeast의 최적 알코올 발효 조건을 확립한다면 본 연구의 방법을 이용한 해조류로부터의 bio-ethanol의 생산을 성공적으로 수행 할 수 있으리라고 판단된다.
$eta$-1,3-glucanase from Pyrococcus furiosus was applied for the saccharification of laminarin, which is a major oligo-saccharide component of brown algae, and the reaction mixture produced from laminarin was utilized as a substrate for alcohol fermentation using yeast. To prepare the recombinant $eta$-1,3-glucanase, a $eta$-1,3-glucanase gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Laminarin was degraded to an oligo- and mono-saccharide, such as glucose, after reaction with the purified recombinant $eta$-1,3-glucanase, and the products after enzymatic treatment were confirmed by TLC and HPLC analysis. Decomposed laminarin after enzyme reaction was only added to the medium as a C-source for yeast alcohol production reaction. 0.3% alcohol production was detected from the cultured broth by gas chromatography after 48 hr of incubation. Further evaluation for optimal conditions of saccharification and alcohol fermentation can be suggested, as well as the possibility of using this enzymatic method to produce ethanol using laminarin.
