A novel agar-degrading marine bacterium, SH-1 strain, was isolated from seashore of Namhae at Gyeongnam province, Korea. The SH-1 strain exhibited 98% similarity with Alteromonas species based on 16S rDNA sequencing and named as Alteromonas sp. SH-1. Alteromonas sp. SH-1 showed agarase activity of 348.3 U/L (1.67 U/mg protein). The molecular masses of the enzymes were predicted as about 85 kDa and 110 kDa by SDS-PAGE and zymogram. The enzymatic activity was optimal at 30 o C and the relative agarase activity was decreased as temperature increase from 30 o C and thus about 90% and 70% activities were shown at 40 o C and 50 o C, respectively. The optimum pH was 6.0 for agarase activity in 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer and activities were less than 70% and 85% activity at pH 5.0 and pH 7.0, respectively, compared with that at pH 6. Agarase activity has remained over 90% at 20 o C after 1.5 hour exposure at this temperature. However, its activity was less than 60% at 30 o C after 0.5 h exposure at this temperature. The enzymes produced agarooligosaccharides such as agaropentaose and agarotriose from agarose, indicating that the agarases are α-agarases. Thus, Alteromonas sp. SH-1 and its agarases would be useful for the industrial production of agarooligosaccharides which are known as having anticancer and antioxidation activities.

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