An inulinase-producing Microbulbifer sp. strain, JAM-3301, was isolated from a 
deep-sea sediment. An inulin operon that contained three open reading frames was 
cloned and sequenced. Two of the three genes were expressed. One product was an 
endo-inulinase, and the other was a β-fructofuranosidase. Both enzymes worked 
together to effectively degrade inulin.