A xylanase-encoding gene, designated xynA19, was cloned from Sphingobacterium sp. TN19-a symbiotic bacterium isolated from the gut of Batocera horsfieldi larvae-and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The full-length xynA19 (1,155 bp in length) encodes a 384-residue polypeptide (XynA19) containing a predicted signal peptide of 24 residues and a catalytic domain belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 10 (GH 10). The deduced amino acid sequence of XynA19 is most similar (53.1% identity) to an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase from Prevotella bryantii B(1)4. Phylogenetic analysis of GH 10 Bacteroidia xylanases indicated that GH 10 xylanases from Sphingobacteria were separated into two clusters, and XynA19 is more closely related to the xylanases of Bacteroidia from gut or rumen than to those of Flavobacteria and Sphingobacteria from other sources. Recombinant XynA19 (r-XynA19) showed apparent optimal activity at pH 6.5 and 45A degrees C. Compared with thermophilic and mesophilic counterparts, r-XynA19 was more active at low temperatures, retaining > 65% of its maximum activity at 20-28A degrees C and similar to 40% even at 10A degrees C, and modeling indicated that XynA19 has fewer hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. These properties suggest that XynA19 has various potential applications, especially in aquaculture and the food industry.