Presence Of Carbohydrate-binding Modules Research Articles

Molecular and functional insights into a novel teleost malectin from big-belly seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis

Malectin is a carbohydrate-binding lectin protein found in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It selectivity binds to Glc2-N-glycan and is involved in a glycoprotein quality control mechanism. Even though malectin may play a role in immunity, its role in innate immunity is not fully known. In the present study, we identified and characterized the malectin gene from Hippocampus abdominalis (HaMLEC). We analyzed sequence features, spatial expression levels, temporal expression profiles upon immune responses, bacterial and carbohydrate binding abilities and anti-viral properties to investigate the potential role of HaMLEC in innate immunity. The molecular weight and isoelectric point (pI) were estimated to be 31.99 kDa and 5.17, respectively. The N-terminal signal peptide, malectin superfamily domain and C-terminal transmembrane region were identified from the amino acid sequence of HaMLEC. The close evolutionary relationship of HaMLEC with other teleosts was identified by phylogenetic analysis. According to quantitative PCR (qPCR) results, HaMLEC expression was observed in all the examined tissues and high expression was observed in the ovary and brain, compared to other tested tissues. Temporal expression of HaMLEC in liver and blood tissues were significant modulated upon exposure to immunogens Edwardasiella tarda, Streptococcus iniae, polyinosinic:polycytidylic and lipopolysaccharide. The presence of carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) of bacterial glycosyl hydrolases were functionally confirmed by a bacterial binding assay. Anti-viral activity significantly reduced viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) replication in cells overexpressing HaMLEC. The observed results suggested that HaMLEC may have a significant role in innate immunity in Hippocampus abdominalis.

Presence of carbohydrate binding modules in extracellular region of class C G-protein coupled receptors (C GPCR): An in silico investigation on sweet taste receptor

Sweet taste receptor (STR) is a C GPCR family member and a suggested drug target for metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Detailed characteristics of the molecule as well as its ligand interactions mode are yet considerably unclear due to experimental study limitations of transmembrane proteins. An in silico study was designed to find the putative carbohydrate binding sites on STR. To this end, α-D-glucose and its α-1,4-oligomers (degree of polymerization up to 14) were chosen as probes and docked into an ensemble of different conformations of the extracellular region of STR monomers (T1R2 and T1R3), using AutoDock Vina. Ensembles had been sampled from an MD simulation experiment. Best poses were further energy-minimized in the presence of water molecules with Amber14 forcefield. For each monomer, four distinct binding regions consisting of one or two binding pockets could be distinguished. These regions were further investigated with regard to hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the residues, as well as residue compositions and non-covalent interactions with ligands. Popular binding regions showed similar characteristics to carbohydrate binding modules (CBM). Observation of several conserved or semi-conserved residues in these binding regions suggests a possibility to extrapolate the results to other C GPCR family members. In conclusion, presence of CBM in STR and, by extrapolation, in other C GPCR family members is suggested, similar to previously proposed sites in gut fungal C GPCRs, through transcriptome analyses. STR modes of interaction with carbohydrates are also discussed and characteristics of non-covalent interactions in C GPCR family are highlighted.

A bioinformatics analysis of 3400 lytic polysaccharide oxidases from family AA9

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases of family AA9 catalyze the oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds in cellulose and related polysaccharides. The N-terminal half of AA9 LPMOs displays a huge sequence variability that is in contradiction with the substrate simplicity so far observed for these enzymes. To understand the cause of the high multigenicity that prevails in the family, we have performed a clustering analysis of the N-terminal region of 3400 sequences of family AA9 LPMOs, and have evaluated the coincidence of the clusters with distal visible features that may accompany functional differences. A method based on local pairwise alignments was devised to avoid the pitfalls of a global multiple alignment. Our analysis allowed the definition of 64 clusters, which successfully segregated several visible features associated to LPMO family AA9, such as the presence of carbohydrate-binding modules, of modules of unknown function and of the conspicuous H → R substitution at the first residue of the histidine brace that holds the catalytic copper. Our analysis shows that the hypervariability of the N-terminal half of the AA9 sequences is not driven by random evolution as sequence similarity does not follow solely taxonomy. The results suggest that some clusters are perhaps able to target chitin instead of cellulose, and that preference for C1 or C4 oxidation (or lack thereof), does not appear to constitute a strong evolutionary constraint. On an evolutionary standpoint, there seems to be little constraints that apply to the N-terminal half of the sequences other than the conservation of the histidine brace. The weak evolutionary constraints that apply to the N-terminal half of AA9 LPMOs explain both their hypervariability and multigenicity.

Chapter Four - Carbohydrate-Binding Modules of Fungal Cellulases: Occurrence in Nature, Function, and Relevance in Industrial Biomass Conversion

In this review, the present knowledge on the occurrence of cellulases, with a special emphasis on the presence of carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) in various fungal strains, has been summarized. The importance of efficient fungal cellulases is growing due to their potential uses in biorefinery processes where lignocellulosic biomasses are converted to platform sugars and further to biofuels and chemicals. Most secreted cellulases studied in detail have a bimodular structure containing an active core domain attached to a CBM. CBMs are traditionally been considered as essential parts in cellulases, especially in cellobiohydrolases. However, presently available genome data indicate that many cellulases lack the binding domains in cellulose-degrading organisms. Recent data also demonstrate that CBMs are not necessary for the action of cellulases and they solely increase the concentration of enzymes on the substrate surfaces. On the other hand, in practical industrial processes where high substrate concentrations with low amounts of water are employed, the enzymes have been shown to act equally efficiently with and without CBM. Furthermore, available kinetic data show that enzymes without CBMs can desorb more readily from the often lignaceous substrates, that is, they are not stuck on the substrates and are thus available for new actions. In this review, the available data on the natural habitats of different wood-degrading organisms (with emphasis on the amount of water present during wood degradation) and occurrence of cellulose-binding domains in their genome have been assessed in order to identify evolutionary advantages for the development of CBM-less cellulases in nature.

Factors affecting xylanase functionality in the degradation of arabinoxylans

Endo-beta-1,4-xylanases are key enzymes in the degradation of arabinoxylans, the main non-starch polysaccharides from grain cell walls. Due to the heterogeneity of arabinoxylans, xylanases with different characteristics are required in industrial applications but the choice of the enzyme is still largely empirical. Although the classification into glycoside hydrolase families greatly helped to derive mechanistic information on the catalytic and substrate specificity of xylanases, other factors e.g. their sensitivity to endogenous inhibitors, the presence of carbohydrate-binding module(s) and their degree of selectivity towards soluble versus insoluble substrate may play a role in determining the functionality of these enzymes in the degradation of arabinoxylans.