Biochemical Characterization and Low-Resolution SAXS Molecular Envelope of GH1 β-Glycosidase from Saccharophagus degradans

Structure and biochemical characterization of glucose tolerant β-1,4 glucosidase (HtBgl) of family 1 glycoside hydrolase from Hungateiclostridium thermocellum

β-1,4-glucosidase (HtBgl) of family 1 glycoside hydrolase from Hungateiclostridium thermocellum was cloned in pET28a(+) vector, expressed, biochemically and structurally characterized. HtBgl displayed 67 U/mg activity against 4-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside, followed by 180 U/mg against cellobiose and 42 U/mg activity against 4-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside. HtBgl displayed an optimum temperature of 65 °C and an optimum pH of 6.0. HtBgl was stable in the pH range, 4.0-8.0 and displayed the thermostability up to 60 °C for 1 h. HtBgl displayed the glucose tolerance up to 750 mM and retained ~70% activity after 20 h. HtBgl crystal structure submitted (PDB id 5OGZ) by others exhibited a classical Triosephosphate Isomerase, (β/α)₈-barrel fold. Protein melting analysis of HtBgl exhibited a single peak at 78 °C and the addition of 5 mM Mg²⁺ shifted the peak to 82 °C. Molecular dynamics studies showed that the amino acid residues from 351 to 375 exhibit the flexibility due to the presence of the catalytic acid residue. The structure comparison of HtBgl with homologous proteins and its docking analysis with probable ligands revealed that the residues, E166 and E355 are involved in the catalysis. The SAXS analysis of HtBgl showed that the protein is monomeric and present in a fully folded state. The radius of gyration (Rg) found was 2.15-2.26 nm. The bell-shaped curve obtained by Kratky plot analysis displayed the globular shape and fully folded state with flexibility in the N-terminal region. The HtBgl crystal structure superposed well with the SAXS derived dummy atom model.

Cellulases from Thermophiles Found by Metagenomics

Cellulases are a heterogeneous group of enzymes that synergistically catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose, the major component of plant biomass. Such reaction has biotechnological applications in a broad spectrum of industries, where they can provide a more sustainable model of production. As a prerequisite for their implementation, these enzymes need to be able to operate in the conditions the industrial process requires. Thus, cellulases retrieved from extremophiles, and more specifically those of thermophiles, are likely to be more appropriate for industrial needs in which high temperatures are involved. Metagenomics, the study of genes and gene products from the whole community genomic DNA present in an environmental sample, is a powerful tool for bioprospecting in search of novel enzymes. In this review, we describe the cellulolytic systems, we summarize their biotechnological applications, and we discuss the strategies adopted in the field of metagenomics for the discovery of new cellulases, focusing on those of thermophilic microorganisms.