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Covering: Up to 2019 Phenolic cross-links and phenolic inter-unit linkages result from the oxidative coupling of two hydroxycinnamates or two molecules of tyrosine. Free dimers of hydroxycinnamates, lignans, play important roles in plant defence. Cross-linking of bound phenolics in the plant cell wall affects cell expansion, wall strength, digestibility, degradability, and pathogen resistance. Cross-links mediated by phenolic substituents are particularly important as they confer strength to the wall via the formation of new covalent bonds, and by excluding water from it. Four biopolymer classes are known to be involved in the formation of phenolic cross-links: lignins, extensins, glucuronoarabinoxylans, and side-chains of rhamnogalacturonan-I. Lignins and extensins are ubiquitous in streptophytes whereas aromatic substituents on xylan and pectic side-chains are commonly assumed to be particular features of Poales sensu lato and core Caryophyllales, respectively. Cross-linking of phenolic moieties proceeds via radical formation, is catalyzed by peroxidases and laccases, and involves monolignols, tyrosine in extensins, and ferulate esters on xylan and pectin. Ferulate substituents, on xylan in particular, are thought to be nucleation points for lignin polymerization and are, therefore, of paramount importance to wall architecture in grasses and for the development of technology for wall disassembly, e.g. for the use of grass biomass for production of 2nd generation biofuels. This review summarizes current knowledge on the intra- and extracellular acylation of polysaccharides, and inter- and intra-molecular cross-linking of different constituents. Enzyme mediated lignan in vitro synthesis for pharmaceutical uses are covered as are industrial exploitation of mutant and transgenic approaches to control cell wall cross-linking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sialidase (EC 3.2.1.18) from the non-pathogenic Trypanosoma rangeli, TrSA, has been shown to exert trans-sialidase activity after mutation of five specific amino acids in the active site (M96V, A98P, S120Y, G249Y, Q284P) to form the so-called TrSA5mut enzyme. By computational and hypothesis driven approaches additional mutations enhancing the trans-sialidase activity have been suggested. In the present work, we made a systematic combination of these mutations leading to seven new variants of the T. rangeli sialidase, having 6–16 targeted amino acid mutations. The resulting enzyme variants were analyzed via kinetics for their ability to carry out trans-sialidase reaction using CGMP and D-lactose as substrates. The sialidase variants with 15 and 16 mutations, respectively, exhibited significantly improved trans-sialidase activity for D-lactose sialylation. Our results corroborate, that computational studies of trans-glycosylation can be a valuable input in the design of novel trans-glycosidases, but also highlight the importance of experimental validation in order to assess the performance. In conclusion, two of the seven mutants displayed a dramatic switch in specificity from hydrolysis towards trans-sialylation and constitute the most potent trans-sialidase mutants of TrSA described in literature to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Emericella nidulans endo-β-1,4-galactanase ( EnGAL) demonstrates a strong capacity to generate high levels of very potent prebiotic oligosaccharides from potato pulp, a by-product of the agricultural potato-starch industry. EnGAL belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 53 and shows high (72.5%) sequence identity to an endo-β-1,4-galactanase from Aspergillus aculeatus. Diffraction data extending to 2.0 Å resolution were collected from a crystal of EnGAL grown from conditions containing 0.2 M zinc acetate. The crystal structure showed a high similarity between EnGAL and other endo-β-1,4-galactanases belonging to GH53. It also revealed 15 zinc ions bound to the protein, one of which is located in the active site, where it is coordinated by residues Glu136 and Glu246 which comprise the catalytic machinery. The majority of the zinc ions are located on the surface of the enzyme, in some cases with side chains from two different molecules as ligands, thus explaining why the presence of zinc ions was essential for crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pectin is a high value functional food ingredient widely used as a gelling agent and stabilizer. It is also an abundant, ubiquitous and multifunctional component of the cell walls of all land plants. Food scientists and plant scientists therefore share a common goal to better understand the structure and functionalities of pectic polymers at the molecular level. The basic properties of pectin have been known for nearly 200 years, but recently there has been tremendous progress in our understanding of the very complex fine structure of pectic polymers and pectinolytic enzymes. This has been made possible by synergies between plant and food research and by the application of a range of state-of-the-art techniques including enzymatic fingerprinting, mass spectrometry, NMR, molecular modelling, and monoclonal antibodies. With this increased knowledge comes the prospect of novel applications. Producers are beginning to develop a new generation of sophisticated designer pectins with specific functionalities. Moreover, the ability to manipulate pectin in planta would have a major impact on fruit and vegetable quality and processing, as well as on pectin production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sialylated galactooligosaccharides (GOS) represent a potential infant formula ingredient, which is believed to contribute with a combination of the beneficial properties of the prebiotic GOS as well as of sialylated human milk oligosaccharides. Sialylated GOS do not exist in natural milk, but can be produced from κ(kappa)-casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP), a sialylated side stream component from cheese-making, by sialidase-catalyzed transsialylation. Using a rationally designed mutant of the sialidase from Trypanosoma rangeli , Tr13, with enhanced transsialylation activity, six different GOS preparations with a varying degree of polymerization (DP) were effectively sialylated with molar yields of 20–30% on the CGMP sialyl in batch reactions. The rate of sialylation of the individual DPs was largely dependent on the DP distribution in each GOS preparation, and Tr13 catalysis did not discriminate against large GOS molecules, providing the novelty point that GOS molecules are sialylated independently of their size by Tr13. Using CGMP, GOS, and Tr13, the production of gram-scale quantities of sialyl-GOS was achieved in 20 L volume reactions. Compared to the benchmark transsialidase from pathogenic Trypanosoma cruzi , the Tr13 was significantly more thermostable. By employing an enzymatic membrane reactor, Tr13 could be recycled and after seven consecutive 1-h reaction cycles, the biocatalytic productivity of the enzyme was increased 7-fold compared to the batch reaction. Assuming that the enzyme may be specific for α-2,3-bound sialyl moieties only, and that only 50% of sialyl linkages in CGMP are α-2,3-linked, the molar yield of sialyl-GOS on the available α-2,3-bound sialyl moieties in CGMP reached 80% in the enzymatic membrane reactor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Four different enzyme re-use/immobilization methods for a new Trypanosoma rangeli trans-sialidase mutant are examined for 3′-sialyllactose production. [•] A 9-fold increase in the trans-sialidase biocatalytic productivity for 3′-sialyllactose is achieved by enzyme re-use in a membrane reactor. [•] The T. rangeli trans-sialidase mutant has a denaturation midpoint temperature (T m) of 57°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]