title: Cloning and biochemical characterization of the fucanase FcnA: definition of a novel glycoside hydrolase family specific for sulfated fucans.
abstract: Sulfated fucans are matrix polysaccharides from marine brown algae, consisting of an alpha-L-fucose backbone substituted by sulfate-ester groups, masked with ramifications, and containing other monosaccharide residues. We here report on the characterization of a novel glycoside hydrolase (FcnA) specific for the degradation of sulfated fucans. This glycoside hydrolase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from a Flavobacteriaceae referred to as SW5. The gene fcnA was cloned and sequenced (3021 nucleotides), and the protein (1007 amino acids) was produced in Escherichia coli. FcnA exhibited a modular architecture consisting of a 400-residue-long N-terminal domain followed by three repeated domains predicted to adopt an immunoglobulin fold and by an 80-amino acid-long C-terminal domain. A truncated recombinant protein encompassing the N-terminal domain and the immunoglobulin-like repeats was shown to retain the enzyme activity. The N-terminal catalytic domain shared approximately 25% of sequence identity with two patented fucanase genes, and these three fucanases delineate a new family of glycoside hydrolases. As shown by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 1H-NMR analyses, the fucanase FcnA proceeds according to an endolytic mode of action and cleaves the alpha-(1-->4) glycosidic linkages within the blocks of repeating motifs [-->4)-alpha-L-fucopyranosyl-2,3-disulfate-(1-->3)-alpha-L-fucopyranosyl-2-sulfate-(1-->]n.
authors.affiliation: Equipe Glycobiologie Marine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7139, Station Biologique, F-29682 Roscoff Cedex, Bretagne, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colin
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deniaud
authors.forename: Murielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jam
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Descamps
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chevolot
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kervarec
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yvin
authors.forename: Tristan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barbeyron
authors.forename: Gurvan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kloareg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D041965:Flavobacteriaceae / Q000201:enzymology*; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases