Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2021

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E40

Identification and characterization of carbohydrate active enzymes that break down seaweed polysaccharides

Höfundar / Authors: Hörður Guðmundsson, Lilja Róbertsdóttir, Elísabet Guðmundsdóttir, Justine Vanhalst, Rébecca Leblay, Amélie Robert, Ólafur Friðjónsson, Guðmundur Hreggviðsson, Björn Aðalsteinsson

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: Matís

Kynnir / Presenter: Hörður Guðmundsson

Seaweeds are an abundant under-utilized biomass in Iceland. They contain diverse polysaccharides that in principle can be converted to oligo- and monosaccharides with application potentials as nutraceuticals, substrates for biofuel production, and for drug synthesis. We sought to identify robust and diverse enzymes that would enable such conversions of the seaweed polysaccharides ulvan, fucoidan, carrageenan, and xylan. We mined microbial genomes and metagenomes sourced from intertidal hot-springs, cloned genes of interest, and characterized the respective enzyme activity. To date, we have identified 8 endo-ulvanases, 4 endo-fucoidanases, 6 endo-carrageenases, and 13 endo-xylanases. They are generally very salt-tolerant, many are thermostable and their primary structures are relatively divergent from previously characterized enzymes of the same class. They represent a significant step forward in defining the structure and function of enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of seaweed polysaccharides and may contribute to the development of industrial processes that aim to increase the valorization of seaweed biomass.