Enzymes from Fungus: Breaking Down Plant Material Efficiently

Scientists have found two special enzymes from a fungus that can help break down plant material. These enzymes, called α-L-Arabinofuranosidases (ABFs), are important because they remove arabinose, a type of sugar, from plant fibers. This makes it easier for other enzymes to break down the plant material further. The enzymes, named TsAbf62A and TsAbf62B, were taken from a fungus called Talaromyces stollii and then produced in another fungus, Pichia pastoris. These enzymes work best in acidic conditions, with the optimal pH being 3. 0. They can still work well in a range of pH levels, from 2. 0 to 8. 0 for TsAbf62A and from 2. 0 to 7. 0 for TsAbf62B. Interestingly, these enzymes are also cold-adapted, meaning they can work well at low temperatures. Their optimal temperatures are 40 and 45 °C, but they can still function at 10 °C, retaining 35. 1 and 28. 9% of their activity, respectively. This makes them useful for processes that need to happen at lower temperatures. The enzymes are highly specific to wheat arabinoxylan, a type of plant fiber. TsAbf62A has a specific activity of 78. 99 U/mg, while TsAbf62B has a specific activity of 11. 52 U/mg. TsAbf62A also shows excellent product tolerance, retaining 85. 5 and 51. 9% of its activity in the presence of 1 M D-xylose and L-arabinose, respectively. The presence of calcium ions (Ca2+) makes these enzymes more stable at high temperatures. Manganese ions (Mn2+) improve their catalytic efficiency by changing how they work. Circular dichroism analysis showed that both ions help stabilize the enzymes' structure under thermal stress. When these enzymes are used together with a xylanase from another fungus, Trichoderma viride, they can break down bran more effectively. This releases more reducing sugars and phenolic compounds, which are beneficial for various industries. These properties make TsAbf62A and TsAbf62B promising biocatalysts for use in the feed and food industries. They could help in breaking down plant material more efficiently, making processes more effective and sustainable.