Cellulophaga algicola DSM 14237, isolated from the Eastern Antarctic coastal zone, was found to be able to hydrolyze several types of polysaccharide materials. In this study, a predicted β-agarase (CaAga1) from C. algicola was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant CaAga1 showed specific activities of 29.39, 20.20, 14.12, and 8.99 U/mg toward agarose, pure agar, and crude agars from Gracilaria lemaneiformis and Porphyra haitanensis, respectively. CaAga1 exhibited an optimal temperature and pH of 40 °C and 7, re...