Journal Article

Oxidative Enzyme Boosting the Enzymatic Conversion of Recalcitrant Polysaccharides

Sørlie, Morten, Zhai, Hong, Liu, Zhanliang, Horn, Svein J, Eijsink, Vincent G.H, Vaaje-Kolstad, Gustav, Westereng, Bjørge

2010

Overview

Efficient enzymatic conversion of crystalline polysaccharides is crucial for an economically and environmentally sustainable bioeconomy but remains unfavorably inefficient. We describe an enzyme that acts on the surface of crystalline chitin, where it introduces chain breaks and generates oxidized chain ends, thus promoting further degradation by chitinases. This enzymatic activity was discovered and further characterized by using mass spectrometry and chromatographic separation methods to detect oxidized products generated in the absence or presence of H₂¹⁸O or ¹⁸O₂. There are strong indications that similar enzymes exist that work on cellulose. Our findings not only demonstrate the existence of a hitherto unknown enzyme activity but also provide new avenues toward more efficient enzymatic conversion of biomass.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Bacterial Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors / Bacterial Proteins - chemistry / Bacterial Proteins - genetics / Bacterial Proteins - metabolism / Binding Sites / Biocatalysis / Bioconversions. Hemisynthesis / bioeconomics / Biological and medical sciences / Biomass / Biotechnology / Carbohydrates / Carrier Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors / Carrier Proteins - chemistry / Carrier Proteins - genetics / Carrier Proteins - metabolism / Cations, Divalent - metabolism / Cations, Divalent - pharmacology / Cellulose / Chitin / Chitin - metabolism / chitinase / Chitinases - metabolism / chromatography / Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Crystallography / Edetic Acid - pharmacology / Enzymatic activity / enzyme activity / Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology / Enzymes / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Glycosides / Hydrolysis / Isotope Labeling / Mass spectrometry / Methods. Procedures. Technologies / Oligosaccharides / Oligosaccharides - metabolism / Oxidation / Oxidation-Reduction / Oxygen / Oxygen Isotopes - metabolism / Polysaccharides / Product labeling / Proteins / Saccharides / Serratia marcescens - enzymology / Solubility / Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / stable isotopes / Sugars