Recalcitrant Polysaccharide Degrading Enzymes of Deep-Sea Microorganisms Surviving in Extreme Environment

Abstract

  Deep-sea microorganisms have a wide variety of useful and undiscovered enzymes for their survival in extreme environment. In this article, recent advances in the fundamental and applied researches on several recalcitrant seaweed polysaccharide degrading enzymes, which are newly obtained from the deep-sea bacteria, were described. The enzymes hydrolyze the backbone of the polysaccharides such as agarose and carrageenans to produce various oligosaccharides with great potentials for our health promotion. Furthermore, owing to the unique and profitable properties of the enzymes, they are used as powerful tools for researches in molecular biology and food analysis.