L-asparaginase having low glutaminase has been a key therapeutic agent in the treatment of acute lymphpoblastic leukemia (A.L.L). In the present study, an extracellular L-asparaginase with low glutaminase activity, produced by Bacillus licheniformis was purified to homogeneity. Protein was found to be a homotetramer of 134.8 KDa with monomeric size of 33.7 KDa and very specific for its natural substrate i.e. L-asparagine. The activity of purified L-asparaginase enhanced in presence of cations including Na+ and K+, whereas it was moderately inhibited in the presence of divalent cations and thiol group blocking reagents. The purified enzyme was maximally active over the range of pH 6.0 to 10.0 and temperature of 40°C and enzyme was stable maximum at pH 9.0 and −20°C. CD spectra of L-asparaginase predicted the enzyme to consist of 63.05% α- helix and 3.29% β-sheets in its native form with T222 of 58°C. Fluorescent spectroscopy showed the protein to be stable even in the presence of more than 3 M GdHCl. Kinetic parameters Km, Vmax and kcat of purified enzyme were found as 1.4×10−5 M, 4.03 IU and 2.68×103 s−1, respectively. The purified L-asparaginase had cytotoxic activity against various cancerous cell lines viz. Jurkat clone E6-1, MCF-7 and K-562 with IC50 of 0.22 IU, 0.78 IU and 0.153 IU respectively. However the enzyme had no toxic effect on human erythrocytes and CHO cell lines hence should be considered potential candidate for further pharmaceutical use as an anticancer drug.

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l‐Asparaginase (E.C.3.5.1.1.) is a vital enzyme that hydrolyzes l‐asparagine to l‐aspartic acid and ammonia. This property of l‐asparaginase inhibits the protein synthesis in cancer cells, making l‐asparaginase a mainstay of pediatric chemotherapy practices to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. l‐Asparaginase is also recognized as one of the important food processing agent. The removal of asparagine by l‐asparaginase leads to the reduction of acrylamide formation in fried food items. l‐Asparaginase is produced by various organisms including animals, plants, and microorganisms, however, only microorganisms that produce a substantial amount of this enzyme are of commercial significance. The commercial l‐asparaginase for healthcare applications is chiefly derived from Escherichia coli and Erwinia chrysanthemi. A high rate of hypersensitivity and adverse reactions limits the long‐term clinical use of l‐asparaginase. Present review provides thorough information on microbial l‐asparaginase bioprocess optimization including submerged fermentation and solid‐state fermentation for l‐asparaginase production, downstream purification, its characterization, and issues related to the clinical application including toxicity and hypersensitivity. Here, we have highlighted the bioprocess techniques that can produce improved and economically viable yields of l‐asparaginase from promising microbial sources in the current scenario where there is an urgent need for alternate l‐asparaginase with less adverse effects.

l-Asparaginase-producing microbes are conventionally screened on phenol red l-asparagine-containing plates. However, sometimes the contrast of the zone obtained (between yellow and pink) is not very sharp and distinct. In the present investigation, an improved method for screening of the microorganisms producing extracellular l-asparaginase is reported wherein bromothymol blue (BTB) is incorporated as pH indicator in l-asparagine-containing medium instead of phenol red. Plates containing BTB at acidic pH are yellow and turn dark blue at alkaline pH. Thus, a dense dark blue zone is formed around microbial colonies producing l-asparaginase, differentiating between enzyme producers and non-producers. The present method is more sensitive and accurate than the conventional method for screening of both fungi and bacteria producing extracellular l-asparaginase. Furthermore, BTB gives a transient green colour at neutral pH (7.0) and dark blue colour at higher pH 8.0-9.0, indicating the potency of the microorganism for l-asparaginase production.

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