Characterization of a novel AA3_1 xylooligosaccharide dehydrogenase from Thermothelomyces myriococcoides CBS 398.93

Background The Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZy) auxiliary activity family 3 (AA3) comprises flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent (FAD) oxidoreductases from the glucose–methanol–choline (GMC) family, which play auxiliary roles in lignocellulose conversion. The AA3 subfamily 1 predominantly consists of cellobiose dehydrogenases (CDHs) that typically comprise a dehydrogenase domain, a cytochrome domain, and a carbohydrate-binding module from family 1 (CBM1). Results In this work, an AA3_1 gene from T. myriococcoides CBS 398.93 encoding only a GMC dehydrogenase domain was expressed in Aspergillus niger. Like previously characterized CDHs, this enzyme (TmXdhA) predominantly accepts linear saccharides with β-(1 → 4) linkage and targets the hydroxyl on the reducing anomeric carbon. TmXdhA was distinguished, however, by its preferential activity towards xylooligosaccharides over cellooligosaccharides. Amino acid sequence analysis showed that TmXdhA possesses a glutamine at the substrate-binding site rather than a threonine or serine that occupies this position in previously characterized CDHs, and structural models suggest the glutamine in TmXdhA could facilitate binding to pentose sugars. Conclusions The biochemical analysis of TmXdhA revealed a catalytic preference for xylooligosaccharide substrates. The modeled structure of TmXdhA provides a reference for the screening of oxidoreductases targeting xylooligosaccharides. We anticipate TmXdhA to be a good candidate for the conversion of xylooligosaccharides to added-value chemicals by its exceptional catalytic ability.