Metagenomic Discovery and Characterization of Multi-Functional and Monomodular Processive Endoglucanases as Biocatalysts

Biomass includes cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin and lignin; constitutes the components of dietary fibre of plant and alge origins in animals and humans; and can potentially provide inexhaustible basic monomer compounds for developing sustainable biofuels and biomaterials for the world. Development of efficacious cellulases is the key to unlock the biomass polymer and unleash its potential applications in society. Upon reviewing the current literature of cellulase research, two characterized and/or engineered glycosyl hydrolase family-5 (GH5) cellulases have displayed unique properties of processive endoglucanases, including GH5-tCel5A1 that was engineered and was originally identified via targeted genome sequencing of the extremely thermophilic Thermotoga maritima and GH5-p4818Cel5_2A that was screened out of the porcine hindgut microbial metagenomic expression library. Both GH5-tCel5A1 and GH5-p4818Cel5_2A have been characterized as having small molecular weights with an estimated spherical diameter at or < 4.6 nm; being monomodular without a required carbohydrate-binding domain; and acting as processive β-1,4-endoglucanases. These two unique GH5-tCel5A1 and GH5-p4818Cel5_2A processive endocellulases are active in hydrolyzing natural crystalline and pre-treated cellulosic substrates and have multi-functionality towards several hemicelluloses including β-glucans, xylan, xylogulcans, mannans, galactomannans and glucomannans. Therefore, these two multifunctional and monomodular GH5-tCel5A1 and GH5-p4818Cel5_2A endocellulases already have promising structural and functional properties for further optimization and industrial applications.