Abstract: In vertebrates, bile salt hydrolysis plays an essential role in fat metabolism. Bile salts are synthesized in the liver. In the small intestine, glycine or taurine are de-conjugated from bile salts by the enzyme bile salt hydrolase (BSH, EC 3.5.1.24) from intestinal microbes, which reduces the serum cholesterol level. In this study, four predicted bile salt hydrolase (bsh) genes from Lactobacillus plantarum ST-III were cloned into pET-28b(+) vector and expressed in Escherichia coli. The hydrolysis activity of these enzymes was 29.00, 20.49, 24.90 U/mL and 21.13 U/mL, respectively.

Key words: Lactobacillus plantarum, bile salt hydrolase, expression, enzyme activity