Identification of a Novel Garlic Cellulase Gene

Genes encoding cellulase enzymes have been investigated in various plants due to the importance of cellulase enzymes in industrial applications, especially in the conversion of biomass into biofuels. Although several cellulase genes have been cloned and characterized, little is known about cellulase genes from garlic or enzyme activities of their gene products. In this study, a cellulase gene from garlic was cloned and characterized in gene and protein levels for the first time. The DNA sequence of the garlic cellulase gene showed 81% identity with the sequence of the endo-beta-1,4-glucanase of Pisum sativum. The open reading frame of this gene is 1,506 bp, which corresponds to 501 deduced amino acids. We identified the novel ORF region, which was translated into a 55.2 kDa protein using the protein expression vector, pET28a, in Escherichia coli and we confirmed that this protein has cellulase activity in vitro. Our study demonstrates that garlic is very useful, not only for the culinary and pharmaceutical industries, but also as an excellent natural source of various kinds of important genes and enzymes.