Purification and characterization of an extracellular (1 --> 6)-beta-glucanase from the filamentous fungus Acremonium persicinum

Properties of recombinant endo-β-1,6-glucanase from Trichoderma harzianum and its application in the pustulan hydrolysis

The gene encoding Trichoderma harzianum fungus pustulanase (ThBGL1.6, GH5 family, endo-β-1,6-glucanase, EC 3.2.1.75) was cloned and heterologously expressed by the highly productive Penicillium verruculosum fungus. The recombinant ThBGL1.6 was purified and its properties were studied. The ThBGL1.6 had an observed molecular mass of 46 kDa (SDS-PAGE data) and displayed maximum of the enzyme activity at pH 5.0 and 50 °C. At 45 °C, the ThBGL1.6 was stable for at least 3 h. The K_m was 1.0 g/L with pustulan as the substrate. Reaction product analysis by HPLC clearly indicated that ThBGL1.6 has an endo-hydrolytic mode of action against pustulan as specific substrate. It was also identified that gentiobiose is the main reaction product at studying of long-term pustulan hydrolysis.

Biochemical Characterization of Recombinant Thermostable Cohnella sp. A01 β-Glucanase

Background

Typically, non-cellulytic glucanase, including fungi and yeast cell wall hydrolyzing enzymes, are released by some symbiotic fungi and plants during the mycoparasitic fungi attack on plants. These enzymes are known as the defense mechanisms of plants. This study intends to investigate the biochemical properties of β-1,6-glucanase (bg16M) from native thermophilic bacteria, Cohnella A01.

Methods

bg16M gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The enzyme was purified utilizing Ni-NTA nikcle sepharose column. Pustulan and laminarin were selected as substrates in enzyme assay. The purified bg16M enzyme was treated with different pH, temperature, metal ions, and detergents.

Results

The expressed protein, including 639 amino acids, showed a high similarity with the hydrolytic glycosylated family 30. The molecular weight of enzyme was 64 kDa, and purification yield was 46%. The bg16M demonstrated activity as 4.83 U/ml on laminarin and 2.88 U/ml on pustulan. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were 8 and 50 °C, respectively. The enzyme had an appropriate stability at high temperatures and in the pH range of 7 to 9, showing acceptable stability, while it did not lose enzymatic activity completely at acidic or basic pH. None of the studied metal ions and chemical compounds was the activator of bg16M, and urea, SDS, and copper acted as enzyme inhibitors.

Conclusion

Biochemical characterization of this enzyme revealed that bg16M can be applied in beverage industries and medical sectors because of its high activity, as well as thermal and alkaline stability.

Characterization of a broad-specificity β-glucanase acting on β-(1,3)-, β-(1,4)-, and β-(1,6)-glucans that defines a new glycoside hydrolase family

Here we report the cloning of the Pa_3_10940 gene from the coprophilic fungus Podospora anserina, which encodes a C-terminal family 1 carbohydrate binding module (CBM1) linked to a domain of unknown function. The function of the gene was investigated by expression of the full-length protein and a truncated derivative without the CBM1 domain in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Using a library of polysaccharides of different origins, we demonstrated that the full-length enzyme displays activity toward a broad range of β-glucan polysaccharides, including laminarin, curdlan, pachyman, lichenan, pustulan, and cellulosic derivatives. Analysis of the products released from polysaccharides revealed that this β-glucanase is an exo-acting enzyme on β-(1,3)- and β-(1,6)-linked glucan substrates and an endo-acting enzyme on β-(1,4)-linked glucan substrates. Hydrolysis of short β-(1,3), β-(1,4), and β-(1,3)/β-(1,4) gluco-oligosaccharides confirmed this striking feature and revealed that the enzyme performs in an exo-type mode on the nonreducing end of gluco-oligosaccharides. Excision of the CBM1 domain resulted in an inactive enzyme on all substrates tested. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an enzyme that displays bifunctional exo-β-(1,3)/(1,6) and endo-β-(1,4) activities toward beta-glucans and therefore cannot readily be assigned to existing Enzyme Commission groups. The amino acid sequence has high sequence identity to hypothetical proteins within the fungal taxa and thus defines a new family of glycoside hydrolases, the GH131 family.

An endo-β-1,6-glucanase involved in Lentinula edodes fruiting body autolysis

A β-1,6-glucanase, LePus30A, was purified and cloned from fruiting bodies of the basidiomycete Lentinula edodes. β-1,6-glucanases degrade β-1,6-glucan polysaccharides, a unique and essential component of fungal cell walls. The complementary DNA of LePus30A includes an open reading frame of 1,575 bp encoding an 18 amino acid signal peptide and the 506 amino acid mature protein. Sequence analysis indicated that LePus30A is a member of glycoside hydrolase family 30, and highly similar genes are broadly conserved among basidiomycetes. The purified LePus30A catalyzed depolymerization of β-1,6-glucan endolytically and was highly specific toward β-1,6-glucan polysaccharide. It is known that the cell walls of fruiting bodies of basidiomycetes are autodegraded after harvesting by means of enzymatic hydrolysis. The transcript level of LePus30A gene (lepus30a) was significantly increased in fruiting bodies after harvesting. Moreover, LePus30A showed hydrolyzing activity against the cell wall components of L. edodes fruiting bodies. These results suggest that LePus30A is responsible for the degradation of the cell wall components during fruiting body autolysis after harvest.

Targeting an antimicrobial effector function in insect immunity as a pest control strategy

Insect pests such as termites cause damages to crops and man-made structures estimated at over $30 billion per year, imposing a global challenge for the human economy. Here, we report a strategy for compromising insect immunity that might lead to the development of nontoxic, sustainable pest control methods. Gram-negative bacteria binding proteins (GNBPs) are critical for sensing pathogenic infection and triggering effector responses. We report that termite GNBP-2 (tGNBP-2) shows beta(1,3)-glucanase effector activity previously unknown in animal immunity and is a pleiotropic pattern recognition receptor and an antimicrobial effector protein. Termites incorporate this protein into the nest building material, where it functions as a nest-embedded sensor that cleaves and releases pathogenic components, priming termites for improved antimicrobial defense. By means of rational design, we present an inexpensive, nontoxic small molecule glycomimetic that blocks tGNBP-2, thus exposing termites in vivo to accelerated infection and death from specific and opportunistic pathogens. Such a molecule, introduced into building materials and agricultural methods, could protect valuable assets from insect pests.

Cloning and characterization ofbgn16·3, coding for a β-1,6-glucanase expressed duringTrichoderma harzianummycoparasitism

AIMS

To clone and characterize the gene coding for BGN16.3, a beta-1,6-glucanase putatively implicated in mycoparasitism by Trichoderma harzianum, a biocontrol agent used against plant pathogenic fungi.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using degenerate primed PCR and cDNA library screening, we have cloned the cDNA coding BGN16.3. bgn16.3 showed a significant sequence identity (50%) to bgn16.1; however, they both have low identity to the previously cloned bgn16.2, allowing the identification of amino acid sequences putatively involved in the common catalytic activity of the three proteins. bgn16.3 is a single-copy gene and highly homologous sequences are present in all tested Trichoderma species. bgn16.3 expression pattern is analysed by Northern blot, finding that it is expressed during the interaction of T. harzianum CECT 2413 with Botrytis cinerea, supporting the implication of the enzyme in the mycoparasitic process.

CONCLUSIONS

The cloned bgn16.3 completes the knowledge on the beta-1,6-glucanase isozyme system from T. harzianum CECT 2413. A highly homologous gene is present in all analysed Trichoderma strains. bgn16.3 is expressed under few specific conditions, including the mycoparasitic process.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study contributes to the knowledge of beta-1,6-glucanases. It implicates this group of enzymes in the mycoparasitism by some biocontrol agents such as T. harzianum.

Biochemistry and molecular biology of exocellular fungal beta-(1,3)- and beta-(1,6)-glucanases

Many fungi produce exocellular beta-glucan-degrading enzymes, the beta-glucanases including the noncellulolytic beta-(1,3)- and beta-(1,6)-glucanases, degrading beta-(1,3)- and beta-(1,6)-glucans. An ability to purify several exocellular beta-glucanases attacking the same linkage type from a single fungus is common, although unlike the beta-1,3-glucanases, production of multiple beta-1,6-glucanases is quite rare in fungi. Reasons for this multiplicity remain unclear and the multiple forms may not be genetically different but arise by posttranslational glycosylation or proteolytic degradation of the single enzyme. How their synthesis is regulated, and whether each form is regulated differentially also needs clarifying. Their industrial potential will only be realized when the genes encoding them are cloned and expressed in large quantities. This review considers what is known in molecular terms about their multiplicity of occurrence, regulation of synthesis and phylogenetic diversity. It discusses how this information assists in understanding their functions in the fungi producing them. It deals largely with exocellular beta-glucanases which here refers to those recoverable after the cells are removed, since those associated with fungal cell walls have been reviewed recently by Adams (2004). It also updates the earlier review by Pitson et al. (1993).

Medicinal importance of fungal beta-(1-->3), (1-->6)-glucans

Non-cellulosic beta-glucans are now recognized as potent immunological activators, and some are used clinically in China and Japan. These beta-glucans consist of a backbone of glucose residues linked by beta-(1-->3)-glycosidic bonds, often with attached side-chain glucose residues joined by beta-(1-->6) linkages. The frequency of branching varies. The literature suggests beta-glucans are effective in treating diseases like cancer, a range of microbial infections, hypercholesterolaemia, and diabetes. Their mechanisms of action involve them being recognized as non-self molecules, so the immune system is stimulated by their presence. Several receptors have been identified, which include: dectin-1, located on macrophages, which mediates beta-glucan activation of phagocytosis and production of cytokines, a response co-ordinated by the toll-like receptor-2. Activated complement receptors on natural killer cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, may also be associated with tumour cytotoxicity. Two other receptors, scavenger and lactosylceramide, bind beta-glucans and mediate a series of signal pathways leading to immunological activation. Structurally different beta-glucans appear to have different affinities toward these receptors and thus generate markedly different host responses. However, the published data are not always easy to interpret as many of the earlier studies used crude beta-glucan preparations with, for the most part, unknown chemical structures. Careful choice of beta-glucan products is essential if their benefits are to be optimized, and a better understanding of how beta-glucans bind to receptors should enable more efficient use of their biological activities.

The three β-1,3-glucanases from Acremonium blochii strain C59 appear to be encoded by separate genes

Three exocellular beta-1,3-glucanases from Acremonium blochii strain C59, BGN3.2, BGN3.3 and BGN3.4, were purified. Two, BGN3.2 and BGN3.4 appeared to act as exo-enzymes against laminarin from Laminaria digitata, while BGN3.3 displayed an endo-mode of action. The N-terminal amino acid sequence data for BGN3.2 and BGN3.4 suggested these two enzymes may be encoded by different genes. The gene encoding the BGN3.2 glucanase was fully sequenced, and its deduced amino acid sequence was similar to those for all other sequenced fungal exo-beta-1,3-glucanases. This BGN3.2 gene consists of an uninterrupted ORF of 2349 bp encoding 783 amino acids possibly with two cleavage sites for the potential removal of a pre- and pro-protein, respectively. A DNA fragment encoding a portion of the BGN3.4 gene was amplified by PCR, and the nucleotide sequence of this fragment confirmed that BGN3.2 and BGN3.4 are encoded by different genes. The internal peptide sequences of BGN3.3 were not present in the amino acid sequence deduced from the BGN3.2 gene, reinforcing the view that BGN3.3 is also genetically different to BGN3.2. Genetic differences between multiple forms of fungal beta-1,3-glucanases from a single fungus have not been reported previously.

BGN16.3, a novel acidic β-1,6-glucanase from mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum CECT 2413

A new component of the beta-1,6-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.75) multienzymatic complex secreted by Trichoderma harzianum has been identified and fully characterized. The protein, namely BGN16.3, is the third isozyme displaying endo-beta-1,6-glucanase activity described up to now in T. harzianum CECT 2413. BGN16.3 is an acidic beta-1,6-glucanase that is specifically induced by the presence of fungal cell walls in T. harzianum growth media. The protein was purified to electrophoretical homogenity using its affinity to beta-1,6-glucan as first purification step, followed by chomatofocusing and gel filtration. BGN16.3 has a molecular mass of 46 kDa in SDS/PAGE and a pI of 4.5. The enzyme only showed activity against substrates with beta-1,6-glycosidic linkages, and it has an endohydrolytic mode of action as shown by HPLC analysis of the products of pustulan hydrolysis. The expression profile analysis of BGN16.3 showed a carbon source control of the accumulation of the enzyme, which is fast and strongly induced by fungal cell walls, a condition often regarded as mycoparasitic simulation. The likely involvement beta-1,6-glucanases in this process is discussed.

Characterization and in vitro expression patterns of extracellular degradative enzymes from non-pathogenic binucleate Rhizoctonia AG-G

Many filamentous fungi produce an array of extracellular enzymes that acting in cell walls release elicitors of the plant defense response These enzymes may therefore be important in biocontrol applications. The aim of this study was to characterize extracellular degradative enzymes produced by a non-pathogenic binucleate isolate of Rhizoctonia AG-G. The fungus was grown in liquid culture supplemented with pectin, polygalacturonic acid or glucose as a carbon sources and filtrates of the culture media were analyzed for the detection of pectinolytic and glucan hydrolytic enzymes. Using only pectin as a carbon source, secretion of polygalacturonases and methylesterases was found. When the liquid medium was supplemented with polygalacturonic acid, only polygalacturonase activity was detected. However, when glucose was used as carbon source beta-1,3 and beta-1,6 glucanases activities were detected, using laminarin and pustulan as substrates, but none of the pectinolytic activities were found. These enzymes were partially purified and characterized. The beta-(1,3)(1,6) glucanase and polygalacturonase enzymes showed to be active against cell wall polysaccharides from potato sprouts. These enzymes may have an important role in fungus-plant cell wall interaction. This is the first study about the production of extracellular enzymes by non-pathogenic binucleate Rhizoctonia AG-G.

Investigating the role of a Verticillium fungicola beta-1,6-glucanase during infection of Agaricus bisporus using targeted gene disruption

Studies on the mycopathogen Verticillium fungicola have shown the up-regulation of beta-1,6-glucanases when grown in the presence of host cell walls and host cell wall components including chitin. These cell-wall-degrading enzymes are hypothesized to contribute to the pathogenic ability of mycopathogens. A beta-1,6-glucanase gene, VfGlu1, showing high similarity to beta-1,6-glucanase genes from Hypocrea virens, Neotyphodium sp., and Trichoderma harzianum, was isolated using degenerate PCR from V. fungicola, a serious mycopathogen of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of V. fungicola using homologous DNA from VfGlu1 resulted in homologous integration at the VfGlu1 locus in 75% of transformants, generating mutants disrupted in the VfGlu1 gene. VfGlu1 mutants displayed reduced virulence and diminished ability to utilize chitin as a carbon source, implicating VfGlu1 in the disease process. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation affords an efficient technique for the disruption of genes associated with disease symptom development in the complex V. fungicola-A. bisporus interaction.

Endophytic fungal beta-1,6-glucanase expression in the infected host grass

Mutualistic fungal endophytes infect many grass species and often confer benefits to the hosts such as reduced herbivory by insects and animals. The physiological interactions between the endophytes and their hosts have not been well characterized. Fungal-secreted proteins are likely to be important components of the interaction. In the interaction between Poa ampla and the endophyte Neotyphodium sp., a fungal beta-1,6-glucanase is secreted into the apoplast, and activity of the enzyme is detectable in endophyte-infected plants. Sequence analysis indicates the beta-1,6-glucanase is homologous to enzymes secreted by the mycoparasitic fungi Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma virens. DNA gel-blot analysis indicated the beta-1,6-glucanase was encoded by a single gene. As a secreted protein, the beta-1,6-glucanase may have a nutritional role for the fungus. In culture, beta-1,6-glucanase activity was induced in the presence of beta-1,6-glucans. From RNA gel blots, similar beta-1,6-glucanases were expressed in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and Chewings fescue (Festuca rubra L. subsp. fallax [Thuill] Nyman) infected with the endophyte species Neotyphodium coenophialum and Epichloë festucae, respectively.

Purification and properties of a basic endo-beta-1,6-glucanase (BGN16.1) from the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma harzianum

The antagonistic fungus Trichoderma harzianum CECT 2413 produces at least two extracellular beta-1,6-glucanases, among other hydrolases acting on polysaccharides from fungal cell walls, when grown in chitin as the sole carbon source. We have previously reported on the purification and biochemical characterization of the major activity, which corresponds to an acidic enzyme named BGN16.2 [de la Cruz, J., Pintor-Toro, J.A., Benítez, T. & Llobell, A. (1995) J. Bacteriol. 177, 1864-1871]. In this paper, we report on the purification to electrophoretical homogeneity of BGN16.1, the second beta-1, 6-glucanase enzyme. BGN16.1 was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by adsorption and digestion of pustulan (a beta-1,6-glucan), chromatofocusing and gel-filtration chromatography. BGN16.1 is a non-glycosylated protein with an apparent molecular mass of 51 kDa and a basic isoelectric point (pI 7.4-7.7). The enzyme was active toward substrates containing beta-1,6-glycosidic linkages, including yeast cell walls. The Km was 0.8 mg x mL-1 with pustulan as the substrate. Reaction product analysis by HPLC clearly indicated that BGN16.1 has an endo-hydrolytic mode of action. The probable role of this enzyme in the antagonistic action of T. harzianum is also discussed.

Detection of beta-1,6-glucanase isozymes from Trichoderma strains in sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing gels

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma produces, under specific growth conditions, several extracellular fungal cell wall degrading enzymes, amongst them beta-1,6-glucanases. These enzymes seem to play an important role in the antagonistic action of Trichoderma against a wide range of fungal plant pathogens. In this report we describe two different methods for the specific detection of the activity of beta-1,6-glucanase isozymes in gels. After sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, beta-1,6-glucanase activity can be assayed in the gel by renaturation of the enzyme, incubation with an overlay agarose gel containing solubilized pustulan (a commercially available beta-1,6-glucan), followed by the staining of the agarose gel with Congo Red. In native isoelectrofocusing gels, as little as 1 mU can be detected after incubation with solubilized pustulan followed by a detection reaction of the released reducing sugars with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. The latter technique has been successfully applied to the screening of beta-1,6-glucanase isozymes from different Trichoderma strains under different growth conditions.

A new tool for studying the molecular architecture of the fungal cell wall: one-step purification of recombinant trichoderma beta-(1-6)-glucanase expressed in Pichia pastoris

The fungal cell wall is a supramolecular network of glycoproteins and polysaccharides. Its analysis is seriously hampered by the lack of easily available hydrolytic enzymes in a pure form. Here we describe a simple and efficient purification procedure of a recombinant beta-(1-6)-glucanase from Trichoderma harzianum expressed in Pichia pastoris. Transformed cells efficiently secreted the enzyme into the induction medium. We purified the enzyme using a one-step method based on hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The yield was 80%. SDS-PAGE of the purified enzyme revealed a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 43 kDa. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 5.8, and it showed maximal enzyme activity and stability at pH 5.0. As beta-(1-6)-glucan is an important component of fungal cell walls, the easy availability of pure beta-(1-6)-glucanase will highly facilitate studies of the molecular organization of the fungal cell wall.

Purification and characterization of an extracellular beta-glucosidase from the filamentous fungus Acremonium persicinum and its probable role in beta-glucan degradation

A beta-glucosidase from the culture filtrates of the filamentous fungus Acremonium persicinum has been purified by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation followed by anion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. SDS-PAGE of the purified enzyme gave a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 128 kDa. The enzyme is a monomeric protein with an isoelectric point of 4.3 and a pH optimum of 5.5. Comparison of the N-terminal amino acid sequence revealed similarities between the A. persicinum enzyme and several other extracellular fungal beta-glucosidases including those from Trichoderma reesei, Aspergillus aculeatus, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, and Pichia anomala. In addition to the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-beta-glucoside, the enzyme was also active against several other aryl-beta-glucosides as well as a range of beta-linked oligoglucosides including laminaribiose, gentiobiose, cellobiose, and sophorose. D-Glucono-1,5-lactone and glucose are competitive inhibitors while the enzyme was also inhibited by N-bromosuccinimide, N-acetylimidazole, dicyclohexyl carbodiimide, Woodward's Reagent K, 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide, KMnO4, and some metal ions. Possible roles for this enzyme in the noncellulolytic fungus A. persicinum are discussed in light of the increase in the rate of reducing sugar release from beta-glucans by (1-->3)- and (1-->6)-beta-glucanases when the beta-glucosidase is also present in the reaction mixtures.

Effect of carbon source on extracellular (1 → 3)- and (1 → 6)-β-glucanase production by Acremonium persicinum

The effect of carbon source on the levels of three (1 → 3)-β-glucanases and a (1 → 6)-β-glucanase in the culture filtrates of the filamentous fungus Acremonium persicinum was investigated. All four enzymes were produced during growth of the fungus on (1 → 3)-, (1 → 6)-, and (1 → 3)(1 → 6)-β-glucans as well as β-linked oligoglucosides. However, only one (1 → 3)-β-glucanase and the (1 → 6)-β-glucanase were detected during growth on a range of other carbon sources including glucose, carboxymethylcellulose, and the α-glucan pullulan. The presence of glucose in the medium markedly decreased the production of all four glucanases, although the concentration required to effect complete repression of enzyme levels varied for the different enzymes. Similar repressive effects were also observed with sucrose, fructose, and galactose. The most likely explanations for these observations are that the synthesis of the (1 → 6)-β-glucanase and one of the (1 → 3)-β-glucanases is controlled by carbon catabolite repression, while the remaining two (1 → 3)-β-glucanases are inducible enzymes subject to carbon catabolite repression.Key words: (1 → 3)-β-glucanase, (1 → 6)-β-glucanase, Acremonium persicinum, regulation of synthesis, fungal β-glucanases.

Proteolytic inactivation of an extracellular (1-->3)-beta-glucanase from the fungus Acremonium persicinum is associated with growth at neutral or alkaline medium pH

The filamentous fungus Acremonium persicinum released high levels of proteolytic enzyme activity into the culture fluid during growth at pH 7 or above. Almost total inhibition of this crude activity by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride suggested that it was mainly due to the presence of a serine protease. This protease inactivated one of three extracellular (1-->3)-beta-glucanases produced by this fungus, although the activities of the remaining two (1-->3)-beta-glucanases did not appear to be affected. Growth of A. persicinum in acidic conditions resulted in the presence of much lower extracellular proteolytic activity and no apparent (1-->3)-beta-glucanase inactivation.

Stereochemical course of hydrolysis catalyzed by arabinofuranosyl hydrolases

The stereochemical course of hydrolysis catalyzed by various enzymes acting on arabinofuranosyl linkages has been determined. 1H-NMR analysis of the action of endo-(1-->5)-alpha-L-arabinanases from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus aculeatus showed that both hydrolyze linear arabinan with inversion of configuration, and may therefore act via a single displacement mechanism. This is consistent with the A. niger enzyme's classification in glycosyl hydrolase family 43. The catalytic mechanisms of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases from A. niger, A. aculeatus, Aspergillus awamori, Humicola insolens, Penicillium capsulatum and Bacillus subtilis were investigated using both 1H-NMR and high performance anion exchange chromatography to follow glycosyl transfer reactions to methanol. In all cases these enzymes catalyzed the reaction with retention of configuration, and therefore probably operate via double displacement hydrolytic mechanisms. From the results with arabinofuranosidase A and B from A. niger we predict that all members of glycosyl hydrolase family 51 and 54 catalyze hydrolysis with net retention of anomeric configuration. Similar studies with (1-->4)-beta-D-arabinoxylan arabinohydrolases from A. awamori, Trichoderma reesei and Bifidobacterium adolescentis only enabled their tentative classification as inverting enzymes on the basis of their lack of glycosyl transfer to methanol.