No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

S U M M A R YThe alginate depolymerase associated with bacteriophage infection of Azotobacter vinelandii has been used in the analysis of sodium alginate. The enzyme degraded the polysaccharide to a series of oligouronides each containing a terminal 4-deoxy-a-~-erythro-hex-4-enopyranuronosyl residue. Analysis of these oligouronides, together with kinetic information, indicated that the enzyme was specific for mannuronic acid-containing regions of the polyuronide. The specificity of the enzyme made it possible to determine the primary structure of the macromolecule.The phage-induced enzyme was shown to be distinct from the alginate lyase elaborated by the host organisms by its pH optimum, molecular weight, Michaelis constant and stability.