Molecular cloning and heterologous expression of an alkaline xylanase fromBacillus pumilusHBP8 inPichia pastoris

Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for targeted hydrolysis and fermentation of glucuronoxylan through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing

BACKGROUND

The abundance of glucuronoxylan (GX) in agricultural and forestry residual side streams positions it as a promising feedstock for microbial conversion into valuable compounds. By engineering strains of the widely employed cell factory Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the ability to directly hydrolyze and ferment GX polymers, we can avoid the need for harsh chemical pretreatments and costly enzymatic hydrolysis steps prior to fermentation. However, for an economically viable bioproduction process, the engineered strains must efficiently express and secrete enzymes that act in synergy to hydrolyze the targeted polymers.

RESULTS

The aim of this study was to equip the xylose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strain CEN.PK XXX with xylanolytic enzymes targeting beechwood GX. Using a targeted enzyme approach, we matched hydrolytic enzyme activities to the chemical features of the GX substrate and determined that besides endo-1,4-β-xylanase and β-xylosidase activities, α-methyl-glucuronidase activity was of great importance for GX hydrolysis and yeast growth. We also created a library of strains expressing different combinations of enzymes, and screened for yeast strains that could express and secrete the enzymes and metabolize the GX hydrolysis products efficiently. While strains engineered with BmXyn11A xylanase and XylA β-xylosidase could grow relatively well in beechwood GX, strains further engineered with Agu115 α-methyl-glucuronidase did not display an additional growth benefit, likely due to inefficient expression and secretion of this enzyme. Co-cultures of strains expressing complementary enzymes as well as external enzyme supplementation boosted yeast growth and ethanol fermentation of GX, and ethanol titers reached a maximum of 1.33 g L- 1 after 48 h under oxygen limited condition in bioreactor fermentations.

CONCLUSION

This work underscored the importance of identifying an optimal enzyme combination for successful engineering of S. cerevisiae strains that can hydrolyze and assimilate GX. The enzymes must exhibit high and balanced activities, be compatible with the yeast's expression and secretion system, and the nature of the hydrolysis products must be such that they can be taken up and metabolized by the yeast. The engineered strains, particularly when co-cultivated, display robust growth and fermentation of GX, and represent a significant step forward towards a sustainable and cost-effective bioprocessing of GX-rich biomass. They also provide valuable insights for future strain and process development targets.

High-level extracellular production and immobilisation of methyl parathion hydrolase from Plesiomonas sp. M6 expressed in Pichia pastoris

Methyl parathion hydrolase (MPH) hydrolyses methyl parathion efficiently and specifically. Herein, we produced MPH from Plesiomonas sp. M6 using a Pichia pastoris multi-copy expression system. The original signal peptide sequence of the target gene was removed, and a modified coding sequence was synthesised. Multi-copy expression plasmids containing MPH were constructed using pHBM905BDM, and used to generate recombinant strains containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 copies of the MPH gene. The results showed that a higher target gene copy number increased the production of recombinant MPH (MPH-R), as anticipated. The expression level of the recombinant strain containing four copies of the MPH gene was increased to 1.9 U/ml using 500 ml shake flasks, and the specific activity was 15.8 U/mg. High-density fermentation further increased the target protein yield to 18.4 U/ml. Several metal ions were tested as additives, and Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Mg²⁺ at a concentration of 1 mM enhanced MPH-R activity by 196%, 201% and 154%, respectively. Enzyme immobilisation was then applied to overcome the difficulties in recovery, recycling and long-term stability associated with the free enzyme. Immobilised MPH-R exhibited significantly enhanced thermal and long-term stability, as well as broad pH adaptability. In the presence of inhibitors and chelating agents such as sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), immobilised MPH-R displayed 2-fold higher activity than free MPH-R, demonstrating its potential for industrial application.

Characterisation of the Effect of the Spatial Organisation of Hemicellulases on the Hydrolysis of Plant Biomass Polymer

Synergism between enzymes is of crucial importance in cell metabolism. This synergism occurs often through a spatial organisation favouring proximity and substrate channelling. In this context, we developed a strategy for evaluating the impact of the geometry between two enzymes involved in nature in the recycling of the carbon derived from plant cell wall polymers. By using an innovative covalent association process using two protein fragments, Jo and In, we produced two bi-modular chimeric complexes connecting a xylanase and a xylosidase, involved in the deconstruction of xylose-based plant cell wall polymer. We first show that the intrinsic activity of the individual enzymes was preserved. Small Angle X-rays Scattering (SAXS) analysis of the complexes highlighted two different spatial organisations in solution, affecting both the distance between the enzymes (53 Å and 28 Å) and the distance between the catalytic pockets (94 Å and 75 Å). Reducing sugar and HPAEC-PAD analysis revealed different behaviour regarding the hydrolysis of Beechwood xylan. After 24 h of hydrolysis, one complex was able to release a higher amount of reducing sugar compare to the free enzymes (i.e., 15,640 and 14,549 µM of equivalent xylose, respectively). However, more interestingly, the two complexes were able to release variable percentages of xylooligosaccharides compared to the free enzymes. The structure of the complexes revealed some putative steric hindrance, which impacted both enzymatic efficiency and the product profile. This report shows that controlling the spatial geometry between two enzymes would help to better investigate synergism effect within complex multi-enzymatic machinery and control the final product.

N-Terminal Fused Signal Peptide Prompted Extracellular Production of a Bacillus-Derived Alkaline and Thermo Stable Xylanase in E. coli Through Cell Autolysis

Xylanases are extensively used as industrial enzymes for its ability of hydrolyzing xylan to oligosaccharides. Here, XynHB, a thermo and alkaline stable xylanase derived from Bacillus pumilus HBP8, was extracellularly produced in E. coli cells through N-terminal-fused signal peptides. We found that the matured XynHB itself could be auto-secreted out of E. coli BL21(DE3) cells at a very low level, and two Sec-pathway signal peptides, PelB and OmpA, and one dual Sec-Tat-pathway signal peptide, FhuD, could effectively prompt its extracellular production up to 12-fold. Our results showed that PelB signal peptide led to the highest extracellular production of XynHB for approximately 54.1 μg/mL, and FhuD-fused XynHB possessed the highest specific activity of 1746.0 U/mg at 70 °C. Meanwhile, our studies also indicated that PelB- and FhuD-fused XynHB might disrupt E. coli cells' periplasm during their secretion process, thus causing cell lysis to facilitate their extracellular production. Moreover, further characterization revealed that the extracellular production of XynHB was not affected by the outer membrane permeability of E. coli cells. Our studies provided an advantageous strategy for the extracellular production of xylanase in E. coli, which may also be used for E. coli autolysis in the future.

Expression of Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase in Pichia pastoris without antibiotics-resistant gene and effects of glycosylation on the enzymic thermostability

Thermostable α-amylases are widely used in industry. The α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis (BLA) with six potential glycosylation sites possessed excellent thermal and pH stability and high activity. Here, it was expressed in Pichia pastoris. The Pic-BLA-producing yeast without any antibiotics-resistant gene was cultivated in flasks and the amylase activity in fermentation supernatant reached 900 U/mL. The recombinant α-amylase Pic-BLA produced in P. pastoris was deeply glycosylated with 30% increase in molecular mass (MM). The deglycosylation treatment by Endoglycosidase H (Endo H) reduced the MM of Pic-BLA. Thermostability analysis showed that Pic-BLA and deglycosylated Pic-BLA were similar in heat tolerance. In order to eliminate the extra impact of Endo H, the BLA was also expressed in Escherichia coli to get non-glycosylated Eco-BLA. A comparative study between non-glycosylated Eco-BLA and glycosylated Pic-BLA showed no obvious difference in thermostability. It is speculated that the glycosylation has little effect on the thermostability of α-amylase BLA.

High copy and stable expression of the xylanase XynHB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by rDNA-mediated integration

Xylanase is a widely-used additive in baking industry for enhancing dough and bread quality. Several xylanases used in baking industry were expressed in different systems, but their expression in antibiotic free vector system is highly essential and safe. In the present study, an alternative rDNA-mediated technology was developed to increase the copy number of target gene by integrating it into Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. A xylanase-encoding gene xynHB from Bacillus sp. was cloned into pHBM367H and integrated into S. cerevisiae genome through rDNA-mediated recombination. Exogenous XynHB expressed by recombinant S. cerevisiae strain A13 exhibited higher degradation activity towards xylan than other transformants. The real-time PCR analysis on A13 genome revealed the presence of 13.64 copies of xynHB gene. Though no antibiotics have been used, the genetic stability and the xylanase activity of xynHB remained stable up to 1,011 generations of cultivation. S. cerevisiae strain A13 expressing xylanase reduced the required kneading time and increased the height and diameter of the dough size, which would be safe and effective in baking industry as no antibiotics-resistance risk. The new effective rDNA-mediated technology without using antibiotics here provides a way to clone other food related industrial enzymes for applications.

High-level expression of improved thermo-stable alkaline xylanase variant in Pichia Pastoris through codon optimization, multiple gene insertion and high-density fermentation

In paper industry, xylanases are used to increase the pulp properties in bleaching process as its eco-friendly nature. The xylanases activity is hindered by high temperature and alkaline conditions with high enzyme production cost in the paper industry. Here, XynHB, an alkaline stable xylanase from Bacillus pumilus HBP8 was mutated at N188A to XynHBN188A. Expressed mutant in E. coli showed 1.5-fold higher xylanase activity than XynHB at 60 °C. The mutant expressed in Pichia pastoris was glycosylated, remained stable for 30 min at 60 °C. XynHBN188A optimized based on codon usage bias for P. pastoris (xynHBN188As) showed an increase of 39.5% enzyme activity. The strain Y16 forming the largest hydrolysis halo in the xylan plate was used in shake flask experiments produced an enzyme activity of 6,403 U/ml. The Y16 strain had 9 copies of the recombinant xynHBN188As gene in the genome revealed by qPCR. The enzymatic activity increased to 48,241 U/ml in a 5 L fermentor. Supplement of 15 U/g xylanase enhanced the brightness of paper products by 2% in bleaching experiment, and thereby improved the tensile strength and burst factor by 13% and 6.5%, respectively. XynHBN188As has a great potential in paper industries.

Lignocellulose degrading extremozymes produced by Pichia pastoris: current status and future prospects

In this review article, extremophilic lignocellulosic enzymes with special interest on xylanases, β-mannanases, laccases and finally cellulases, namely, endoglucanases, exoglucanases and β-glucosidases produced by Pichia pastoris are reviewed for the first time. Recombinant lignocellulosic extremozymes are discussed from the perspectives of their potential application areas; characteristics of recombinant and native enzymes; the effects of P. pastoris expression system on recombinant extremozymes; and their expression levels and applied strategies to increase the enzyme expression yield. Further, effects of enzyme domains on activity and stability, protein engineering via molecular dynamics simulation and computational prediction, and site-directed mutagenesis and amino acid modifications done are also focused. Superior enzyme characteristics and improved stability due to the proper post-translational modifications and better protein folding performed by P. pastoris make this host favourable for extremozyme production. Especially, glycosylation contributes to the structure, function and stability of enzymes, as generally glycosylated enzymes produced by P. pastoris exhibit better thermostability than non-glycosylated enzymes. However, there has been limited study on enzyme engineering to improve catalytic efficiency and stability of lignocellulosic enzymes. Thus, in the future, studies should focus on protein engineering to improve stability and catalytic efficiency via computational modelling, mutations, domain replacements and fusion enzyme technology. Also metagenomic data need to be used more extensively to produce novel enzymes with extreme characteristics and stability.

Expression, purification and identification of a thermolysin-like protease, neutral protease I, from Aspergillus oryzae with the Pichia pastoris expression system

Neutral proteases are widely used in the textile, food and medical industries. This study was designed to obtain high expression levels of neutral protease I from Aspergillus oryzae 3.042 by using Pichia pastoris GS115 as the host strain for industrial purposes. The coding sequence of the target gene was modified, synthesized, and then cloned into the expression vector pHBM905BDM, which harbored the d1+2 × 201 AOX1 promoter and the MF4I leader sequence. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115. The recombinant strain was used for high-density fermentation in a 4-L fermenter. The yield of the target protein reached 12.87 mg/mL, and the enzyme activity was approximately 49370 U/mL, which indicated that this enzyme was expressed in Pichia pastoris at a high level. The target protein was purified and characterized. Its optimum temperature and pH were 55 °C and 8.0, respectively. This enzyme was extremely sensitive to EDTA, which is consistent with the previous reports that it is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease. Our results indicated that low concentrations of zinc, calcium and magnesium ions stimulated the enzyme activity, whereas high concentrations inhibited its activity. In addition, calcium and magnesium ions increased the thermostability of the enzyme. All of the evidence indicated that this protease is a thermolysin-like peptidase.

Development and application of a general plasmid reference material for GMO screening

The use of analytical controls is essential when performing GMO detection through screening tests. Additionally, the presence of taxon-specific sequences is analyzed mostly for quality control during GMO detection. In this study, 11 commonly used genetic elements involving three promoters (P-35S, P-FMV35S and P-NOS), four marker genes (Bar, NPTII, HPT and Pmi), and four terminators (T-NOS, T-35S, T-g7 and T-e9), together with the reference gene fragments from six major crops of maize, soybean, rapeseed, rice, cotton and wheat, were co-integrated into the same single plasmid to construct a general reference plasmid pBI121-Screening. The suitability test of pBI121-Screening plasmid as reference material indicated that the non-target sequence on the pBI121-Screening plasmid did not affect the PCR amplification efficiencies of screening methods and taxon-specific methods. The sensitivity of screening and taxon-specific assays ranged from 5 to 10 copies of pBI121-Screening plasmid, meeting the sensitivity requirement of GMO detection. The construction of pBI121-Screening solves the lack of a general positive control for screening tests, thereby reducing the workload and cost of preparing a plurality of the positive control.

High-level expression of Proteinase K from Tritirachium album Limber in Pichia pastoris using multi-copy expression strains

Proteinase K is widely used in scientific research and industries. This report was aimed to achieve high-level expression of proteinase K using Pichia pastoris GS115 as the host strain. The coding sequence of a variant of proteinase K that has higher activity than the wild type protein was chosen and optimized based on the codon usage preference of P. pastoris. The novel open reading frame was synthesized and a series of multi-copy expression vectors were constructed based on the pHBM905BDM plasmid, allowing for the tandem integration of multiple copies of the target gene into the genome of P. pastoris with a single recombination. These strains were used to study the correlation between the gene copy number and the expression level of proteinase K. The results of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) indicated that the tandem expression cassettes were integrated into the host genome stably. Meanwhile, the results of qPCR and enzyme activity assays indicated that the mRNA and protein expression levels of the target gene increased as the gene copy number increased. Moreover, the effect of gene dosage on the expression level of the recombinant protein was more obvious using high-density fermentation. The maximum expression level and enzyme activity of proteinase K, which were obtained from the recombinant yeast strain bearing 5 copies of the target gene after an 84-h induction, were approximately 8.069 mg/mL and 108,295 U/mL, respectively. The recombinant proteinase was purified and characterized. The optimum pH and temperature for the activity of this protease were approximately pH 11 and 55 °C, respectively.

High-level expression of human arginase I in Pichia pastoris and its immobilization on chitosan to produce L-ornithine

BACKGROUND

L-ornithine (L-Orn), is an intermediate metabolite in the urea cycle that plays a significant role in humans. L-Orn can be obtained from the catalysis of L-arginine (L-Arg) by arginase. The Pichia pastoris expression system offers the possibility of generating a large amount of recombinant protein. The immobilized enzyme technology can overcome the difficulties in recovery, recycling and long-term stability that result from the use of free enzyme.

METHODS

The recombinant human arginase I (ARG I) was obtained using an optimized method with the Pichia pastoris GS115 as the host strain. Chitosan paticles were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and rinsed exhaustively. Then the expressed ARG I was immobilized on the crosslinked chitosan particles, and the enzymatic properties of both the free and immobilized enzymes were evaluated. At last, the immobilized ARG I was employed to catalyze L-Arg to L-Orn.

RESULTS

The results indicated that these two states both exhibited optimal activity under the same condition of pH10 at 40 °C. However, the immobilized ARG I exhibited the remarkable thermal and long-term stability as well as broad adaptability to pH, suggesting its potential for wide application in future industry. After a careful analysis of its catalytic conditions, immobilized ARG I was employed to catalyze the conversion of L-Arg to L-Orn under optimal condition of 1 % glutaraldehyde, 1 mM Mn(2+), 40 °C, pH10 and an L-arginine (L-Arg) concentration of 200 g/L, achieving a highly converted content of 149.g/L L-Orn.

CONCLUSIONS

In this work, ARG Ι was abundantly expressed, and an efficient, facile and repeatable method was developed to synthesize high-quality L-Orn. This method not only solved the problem of obtaining a large amount of arginase, but also provided a promising alternative for the future industrial production of L-Orn.

Expression and Characterization of the RKOD DNA Polymerase in Pichia pastoris

The present study assessed high-level expression of the KOD DNA polymerase in Pichia pastoris. Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1 is a DNA polymerase that is widely used in PCR. The DNA coding sequence of KOD was optimized based on the codon usage bias of P. pastoris and synthesized by overlapping PCR, and the nonspecific DNA-binding protein Sso7d from the crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus was fused to the C-terminus of KOD. The resulting novel gene was cloned into a pHBM905A vector and introduced into P. pastoris GS115 for secretory expression. The yield of the target protein reached approximately 250 mg/l after a 6-d induction with 1% (v/v) methanol in shake flasks. This yield is much higher than those of other DNA polymerases expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified, and its enzymatic features were studied. Its specific activity was 19,384 U/mg. The recombinant KOD expressed in P. pastoris exhibited excellent thermostability, extension rate and fidelity. Thus, this report provides a simple, efficient and economic approach to realize the production of a high-performance thermostable DNA polymerase on a large scale. This is the first report of the expression in yeast of a DNA polymerase for use in PCR.

Expression, activation and characterization of porcine trypsin in Pichia pastoris GS115

Trypsin is a typical member of serine protease families, specifically cleaving the carboxyl group of peptides at the basic amino acids arginine and lysine. The gene fragment of porcine trypsin with its propeptide coding sequence was optimized and synthesized according to the codon usage bias of Pichia pastoris. The optimized sequence was integrated into the genome of P. pastoris GS115 using the vector pHBM905A. The yield of the recombinant protein was 0.48mg/ml with a maximum activity of 19.2U/ml after 96-h induction in a 5-l fermenter. An optimum activity for the recombinant trypsin was observed at 35°C and pH 8.5. This is the first time to express the porcine trypsinogen with P. pastoris expression system. This report also found that the propeptide was cleaved from the recombinant protein and the enzymogen was transferred into trypsin at the later phase of the fed-batch cultivation. In particular, the activation process can be initiated by changing pH.

Developing a xylanase XYNZG from Plectosphaerella cucumerina for baking by heterologously expressed in Kluyveromyces lactis

Background

Xylanase can replace chemical additives to improve the volume and sensory properties of bread in the baking. Suitable baking xylanase with improved yield will promote the application of xylanase in baking industry. The xylanase XYNZG from the Plectosphaerella cucumerina has been previously characterized by heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris. However, P. pastoris is not a suitable host for xylanase to be used in the baking process since P. pastoris does not have GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) status and requires large methanol supplement during the fermentation in most conditions, which is not allowed to be used in the food industry. Kluyveromyces lactis, as another yeast expression host, has a GRAS status, which has been successfully used in food and feed applications. No previous work has been reported concerning the heterologous expression of xylanase gene xynZG in K. lactis with an aim for application in baking.

Results

The xylanase gene xynZG from the P. cucumerina was heterologously expressed in K. lactis. The recombinant protein XYNZG in K. lactis presented an approximately 19 kDa band on SDS-PAGE and zymograms analysis. Transformant with the highest halo on the plate containing the RBB-xylan (Remazol Brilliant Blue-xylan) was selected for the flask fermentation in different media. The results indicated that the highest activity of 115 U/ml at 72 h was obtained with the YLPU medium. The mass spectrometry analysis suggested that the hydrolytic products of xylan by XYNZG were mainly xylobiose and xylotriose. The results of baking trials indicated that the addition of XYNZG could reduce the kneading time of dough, increase the volume of bread, improve the texture, and have more positive effects on the sensory properties of bread.

Conclusions

Xylanase XYNZG is successfully expressed in K. lactis, which exhibits the highest activity among the published reports of the xylanase expression in K. lactis. The recombinant XYNZG can be used to improve the volume and sensory properties of bread. Therefore, the expression yield of recombinant XYNZG can be further improved through engineered strain containing high copy numbers of the XYNZG, and optimized fermentation condition, making bread-baking application possible.

The alkaline pectate lyase PEL168 of Bacillus subtilis heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris is more stable and efficient for degumming ramie fiber

Background

The conventional degumming process of ramie with alkaline treatment at high temperature causes severe environmental pollution. Pectate lyases can be used to remove pectin from ramie in a degumming process with reduced environmental pollution and energy consumption. Pectate lyase PEL168 from Bacillus subtilis has been previously characterized and the protein structure was resolved. However, Bacillus is not a suitable host for pectate lyases during the degumming process since most Bacillus produce cellulases endogenously with a detrimental effect to the fiber. Pichia pastoris, which does not express endogenous cellulases and has high secretion capability, will be an ideal host for the expression. No previous work was reported concerning the heterologous expression of pectate lyase PEL168 in P. pastoris with an aim for industrial application in ramie bio-degumming.

Results

The gene pel168 was expressed in P. pastoris in this study. The recombinant protein PEL168 in P. pastoris (PEL168P) showed two bands of 48.6 kDa and 51.4 kDa on SDS-PAGE whereas the enzyme expressed in E. coli (PEL168E) was the same as predicted with a band of 46 kDa. Deglycosylation digestion suggested that PEL168P was glycosylated. The optimum reaction temperature of the two PEL168s was 50°C, and the optimum pH 9.5. After preincubation at 60°C for 20 min, PEL168E completely lost its activity, whereas PEL168P kept 26% of the residual activity. PEL168P had a specific activity of 1320 U/mg with a K_m of 0.09 mg/ml and a V_max of 18.13 μmol/min. K⁺, Li⁺, Ni²⁺ and Sr²⁺ showed little or no inhibitory effect on PEL168P activity, and Ca²⁺ enhanced enzyme activity by 38%. PEL168P can remove the pectin from ramie effectively in a degumming process. A 1.5 fold increase of PEL168 enzyme expression in P. pastoris was achieved by further codon optimization.

Conclusions

Pectate lyase PEL168 with an available protein structure can be heterologously expressed in P. pastoris. The characterized recombinant PEL168P can be used to remove pectin from ramie efficiently and the expression level of PEL168 in P. pastoris was increased markedly by codon optimization. Therefore, PEL168 is an ideal candidate for further optimization and engineering for bio-degumming.

Effects of salts on activity of halophilic cellulase with glucomannanase activity isolated from alkaliphilic and halophilic Bacillus sp. BG-CS10

Alkaliphilic and halophilic Bacillus sp. BG-CS10 was isolated from Zabuye Salt Lake, Tibet. The gene celB, encoding a halophilic cellulase was identified from the genomic library of BG-CS10. CelB belongs to the cellulase superfamily and DUF291 superfamily, with an unknown function domain and less than 58% identity to other cellulases in GenBank. The purified recombinant protein (molecular weight: 62 kDa) can hydrolyze soluble cellulose substrates containing beta-1,4-linkages, such as carboxylmethyl cellulose and konjac glucomannan, but has no exoglucanase and β-glucosidase activities. Thus, CelB is a cellulase with an endo mode of action and glucomannanase activity. Interestingly, the enzyme activity was increased approximately tenfold with 2.5 M NaCl or 3 M KCl. Furthermore, the optimal temperatures were 55°C with 2.5 M NaCl and 35°C without NaCl, respectively. This indicates that NaCl can improve enzyme thermostability. The K ( m ) and k (cat) values of CelB for CMC with 2.5 M NaCl were 3.18 mg mL(-1) and 26 s(-1), while the K ( m ) and k (cat) values of CelB without NaCl were 6.6 mg mL(-1) and 2.1 s(-1). Thus, this thermo-stable, salt and pH-tolerant cellulase is a promising candidate for industrial applications, and provides a new model to study salt effects on the structure of protein.

GH11 xylanases: Structure/function/properties relationships and applications

For technical, environmental and economical reasons, industrial demands for process-fitted enzymes have evolved drastically in the last decade. Therefore, continuous efforts are made in order to get insights into enzyme structure/function relationships to create improved biocatalysts. Xylanases are hemicellulolytic enzymes, which are responsible for the degradation of the heteroxylans constituting the lignocellulosic plant cell wall. Due to their variety, xylanases have been classified in glycoside hydrolase families GH5, GH8, GH10, GH11, GH30 and GH43 in the CAZy database. In this review, we focus on GH11 family, which is one of the best characterized GH families with bacterial and fungal members considered as true xylanases compared to the other families because of their high substrate specificity. Based on an exhaustive analysis of the sequences and 3D structures available so far, in relation with biochemical properties, we assess biochemical aspects of GH11 xylanases: structure, catalytic machinery, focus on their "thumb" loop of major importance in catalytic efficiency and substrate selectivity, inhibition, stability to pH and temperature. GH11 xylanases have for a long time been used as biotechnological tools in various industrial applications and represent in addition promising candidates for future other uses.