title: Agarase: review of major sources, categories, purification method, enzyme characteristics and applications.
abstract: Agarases are the enzymes which catalyze the hydrolysis of agar. They are classified into alpha-agarase (E.C. 3.2.1.158) and beta-agarase (E.C. 3.2.1.81) according to the cleavage pattern. Several agarases have been isolated from different genera of bacteria found in seawater and marine sediments, as well as engineered microorganisms. Agarases have wide applications in food industry, cosmetics, and medical fields because they produce oligosaccharides with remarkable activities. They are also used as a tool enzyme for biological, physiological, and cytological studies. The paper reviews the category, source, purification method, major characteristics, and application fields of these native and gene cloned agarases in the past, present, and future.
authors.affiliation: College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China. xiaotingfu@ouc.edu.cn
authors.forename: Xiao Ting
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Sang Moo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000201:enzymology; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008974:Mollusca / Q000201:enzymology; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000362:Agar; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C019624:agarase