Structures of the oligosaccharides from the enzymic hydrolysis of hemicellulose by a hemicellulase of Ceratocystis paradoxa

Mode of action of the xylan-degrading enzymes from Aspergillus awamori on alkali-extractable cereal arabinoxylans

Alkali-extractable cereal arabinoxylan and oligosaccharides of known structure derived from it by enzymic hydrolysis were treated with endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanases I and III from Aspergillus awamori CMI 142717 and the digests subjected to analysis by high performance anion-exchange chromatography. Clear differences in the mode of action of the two endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanases were observed. When counting from the reducing end, at least one unsubstituted xylopyranosyl residue adjacent to singly substituted xylopyranosyl residues or two unsubstituted xylopyranosyl residues adjacent to doubly substituted xylopyranosyl residues cannot be removed by endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanase I. At least two unsubstituted xylopyranosyl residues adjacent to singly or doubly substituted xylopyranosyl residues cannot be removed by endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanase III. beta-D-Xylosidase from the same xylanolytic system was able to remove terminal xylopyranosyl residues from the nonreducing end of branched oligosaccharides only when two contiguous unsubstituted xylopyranosyl residues were present adjacent to singly or doubly substituted xylopyranosyl residues.

Characterisation by 1H NMR spectroscopy of oligosaccharides derived from alkali-extractable wheat-flour arabinoxylan by digestion with endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanase III from Aspergillus awamori

Alkali-extractable wheat-flour arabinoxylan, treated with endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanase III from Aspergillus awamori CMI 142717, was fractionated by Bio-Gel P-2 size exclusion chromatography at 60 degrees C. Column fractions, corresponding to oligosaccharides with degrees of polymerisation from 5 to 10, were collected, and subfractionated by high performance anion-exchange chromatography on CarboPac PA-1. The structures of the oligosaccharides thus obtained were elucidated by 1H NMR spectroscopy, showing chains of (1-->4)-linked beta-D-xylopyranosyl residues differently substituted at O-3 and/or O-2,3 with alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl groups. The structures were different from those obtained with endo-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylanase I of the same xylanolytic enzyme system.

Purification, properties, and partial amino acid sequences of thermostable xylanases from Streptomyces thermoviolaceus OPC-520

Two types of xylanases (1,4-beta-D-xylan xylanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.8) were isolated from the culture filtrate of a thermophilic actinomycete, Streptomyces thermoviolaceus OPC-520. The enzymes (STX-I and STX-II) were purified by chromatography with DEAE-Toyopearl 650 M, CM-Toyopearl 650 M, Sephadex G-75, Phenyl-Toyopearl 650 M, and Mono Q HR. The purified enzymes showed single bands on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights of STX-I and STX-II were 54,000 and 33,000, respectively. The pIs were 4.2 (STX-I) and 8.0 (STX-II). The optimum pH levels for the activity of STX-I and STX-II were pH 7.0. The optimum temperature for the activity of STX-I was 70 degrees C, and that for the activity of STX-II was 60 degrees C. The enzymes were completely inhibited by N-bromosuccinimide. The enzymes degraded xylan, producing xylose and xylobiose as the predominant products, indicating that they were endoxylanases. STX-I showed high sequence homology with the exoglucanase from Cellulomonas fimi (47% homology), and STX-II showed high sequence homology with the xylanase from Bacillus pumilus (46% homology).