Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Characterization Of The Mala Enzyme From Bdellovibrio Bacteriovorus Through The Synthesis And Analysis Of Maltose Derivatives, Joey R. Jepson

Summer Research

MalA is an α-glucosidase found in the bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, a predatory bacteria that preys on gram-negative bacteria, including several plant and human pathogens. The gene for MalA was discovered while sequencing the genome of Bdellovibrio and was predicted to be a maltase based on homology. Maltase enzymes are characterized by their role in the catalysis of maltose into two glucose subunits. MalA will bind to several different disaccharides composed of a glucose α-linked to a variety of sugars (isomaltose, trehalose, turanose, sucrose, etc.), but it does not cleave them. The objective of our research was to investigate how the …