Isolation and characterisation of a novel, low-temperature-1 active alkaliphilic esterase from an Antarctic desert soil metagenome

A novel esterase was identified through functional screening of an Antarctic desert soil metagenomic library in E. coli. The 297-amino acid sequence had only low (< 29 %) similarity to a putative esterase from Burkholderia xenovorans. The enzyme was active over a temperature range of 7-54 °C and at alkaline pH levels, and is a potential candidate for industrial application