Purification of Aspergillus tamarii mycelial fructosyltransferase (m-FTase), optimized FOS production, and evaluation of its anticancer potential.

In the present study, generation of prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) using Aspergillus tamarii FTase was optimized by applying response surface methodology. Optimal FOS (251 g L -1 ) was generated at 28.4°C, pH 7.0 and 50% (w/v) sucrose leading to 1.97-fold yield enhancement. The m-FTase was purified using ultrafiltration followed by HiTrap Q HP anion exchange chromatography resulting in 2.15-fold purified FTase with 12.76 U mg -1 specific activity. Purified FTase (75 kDa) had K m and V max values of 1049.717 mM and 2.094 µmol min -1  mg -1 , respectively. FOS incorporation led to upregulation of caspase 3, caspase 9, and Bax genes suggesting mitochondrial apoptosis activation in cancer cells. The study describes characteristics of purified FTase from A. tamarii, production optimization of FOS and unravels the role of FOS in anticancer activity against HT-29 cells. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides detailed insights of kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of purified FTase, a prebiotic FOS-generating enzyme. Moreover, the role of the apoptotic genes involved in anticancer activity, and the prebiotic potential of FOS is also investigated. These findings are important in the context of FOS applications, and the optimized production strategies make it useful for industrial application.