“Microorganisms from extreme environments, such as the Antarctic ecosystems, have a great potential to produce enzymes with novel characteristics. Within this context, L-asparaginase (ASNase) obtained from yeast species has been poorly studied. In this study, yeasts isolated from samples collected at Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) were tested to produce ASNase. From an initial screening of 40 strains, belonging to 13 different species, Leucosporidium scottii L115 produced an ASNase activity (LsASNase activity: 6.24 U g-1 of dry cell weight) with the lowest glutaminase activity. The LsASNase was purified 227-fold, with a specific activity of 137.01 U mg-1 at 37 ◦C, without glutaminase activity. Moreover, the maximum enzyme activity was observed at pH 7.5 and at a temperature of 55 ◦C. The enzyme is a multimer of 462 kDa, presenting a single band of 53 kDa molecular m...

“Microorganisms from extreme environments, such as the Antarctic ecosystems, have a great potential to produce enzymes with novel characteristics. Within this context, L-asparaginase (ASNase) obtained from yeast species has been poorly studied. In this study, yeasts isolated from samples collected at Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) were tested to produce ASNase. From an initial screening of 40 strains, belonging to 13 different species, Leucosporidium scottii L115 produced an ASNase activity (LsASNase activity: 6.24 U g-1 of dry cell weight) with the lowest glutaminase activity. The LsASNase was purified 227-fold, with a specific activity of 137.01 U mg-1 at 37 ◦C, without glutaminase activity. Moreover, the maximum enzyme activity was observed at pH 7.5 and at a temperature of 55 ◦C. The enzyme is a multimer of 462 kDa, presenting a single band of 53 kDa molecular m...