What is it about?
The enzyme (acetyl xylan esterase or AXE) was isolated from the fungus, Aspergillus luchuensis (formerly A. awamori), which is used for making Shochu beverage (called awamori in Japanase) in Okinawa islands (old name Rukyu (luchu)). AXE and its similar enzyme, ferulic acid esterase (FAE), from the fungus cut ester bonds in cell wall polysaccharides of cereals and help the Shochu brewing. The crystal structure of the enzyme (AlAXEA) was determined, and several unique structural features have been revealed. We manipulated the AXE enzyme and succeeded in endowing the FAE activity.
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Why is it important?
AXEs, FAEs, and enzymes that break down biodegradable plastics (PHA depolymerases) belong to the same enzyme family (Esterase_phb) with AlAXEA. So many such kind of enzymes have been studied so far but no 3D structure have been available for them. The crystal structure of AlAXEA provides a common basis for studying those enzymes.
Perspectives
Since AXEs, FAEs, PHA depolymerases, and related esterases are used for bio-industry and environmental protection, this work will widely contribute to those applicational areas.
Shinya Fushinobu
The University of Tokyo
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Crystal Structure and Substrate Specificity Modification of Acetyl Xylan Esterase from Aspergillus luchuensis, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2017, ASM Journals,
DOI: 10.1128/aem.01251-17.
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