title: Towards a molecular-level theory of carbohydrate processivity in glycoside hydrolases.
abstract: Polysaccharide depolymerization in nature is primarily accomplished by processive glycoside hydrolases (GHs), which abstract single carbohydrate chains from polymer crystals and cleave glycosidic linkages without dissociating after each catalytic event. Understanding the molecular-level features and structural aspects of processivity is of importance due to the prevalence of processive GHs in biomass-degrading enzyme cocktails. Here, we describe recent advances towards the development of a molecular-level theory of processivity for cellulolytic and chitinolytic enzymes, including the development of novel methods for measuring rates of key steps in processive action and insights gained from structural and computational studies. Overall, we present a framework for developing structure-function relationships in processive GHs and outline additional progress towards developing a fundamental understanding of these industrially important enzymes.
authors.affiliation: National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States. Electronic address: Gregg.Beckham@nrel.gov.
authors.forename: Gregg T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Beckham
authors.affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE 75007 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: Jerry.Stahlberg@slu.edu.
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ståhlberg
authors.affiliation: National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Brandon C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Knott
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Himmel
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE 75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandgren
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-1432 Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sørlie
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, United States; Center for Computational Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, United States. Electronic address: Christy.Payne@uky.edu.
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Payne
mesh_terms: D044602:Cellulases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D043366:Cellulose 1,4-beta-Cellobiosidase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D002482:Cellulose; D044602:Cellulases; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D043366:Cellulose 1,4-beta-Cellobiosidase