Journal of Applied Glycoscience
Online ISSN : 1880-7291
Print ISSN : 1344-7882
ISSN-L : 1344-7882
Review
Recent Progress in Understanding the Mode of Action of Acetylxylan Esterases
Peter BielyBjørge WesterengVladimír PuchartPieter de MaayerDon A. Cowan
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2014 Volume 61 Issue 2 Pages 35-44

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Abstract

Acetylation is one of the main obstacles to the effective enzymatic conversion of hemicelluloses to fermentable sugars. In nature, the microbial degradation of hemicellulose involves the action of deacetylating esterases that act synergistically with glycoside hydrolases. In the industrial processing of lignocelluloses biomass, alkaline pretreatments remove acetyl groups by saponification, but other non-alkaline pretreatment methods generate acetylated hemicelluloses. Complete saccharification of plant hemicelluloses can’t be achieved without the deacetylating enzymes. Recent years have witnessed considerale progress in our understanding of the mode of acetylation of hemicellulose and mode of action of microbial polysaccharide deacetylases. In this article we focus on the diversity and role of acetylxylan esterases in the breakdown of acetylxylan, the most abundant hemicellulose in nature.

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© 2014 by The Japanese Society of Applied Glycoscience
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