Enzyme Activity Measurement of Arabinan Endo-1,5-Alpha-L-Arabinanase

Creative Enzymes has become a top-rated service provider since stepping into the enzyme industry several years ago. Learning through hundreds of thousands of activity tests, we have accumulated extensive experiences in method development and process optimization. With the additional help of the advanced equipment, Creative Enzymes can provide highly accurate assay services for virtually any enzyme. We are especially proficient at testing hydrolyases, such as arabinan endo-1,5-alpha-L-arabinanase.

Endo-1,5-α-L-arabinanases (ABNs, E.C. 3.2.1.99) catalyze the hydrolysis of the α-1,5-linked L-arabinofuranoside backbone of plant cell wall arabinans releasing arabinooligosaccharides and arabinose, the second most abundant pentose in nature. According to the CAZy classification, ABNs are mainly found in GH family 43. Till today, due to limited distribution, only a few ABNs from different genus of Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Aspergillus have been reported.

Although lacking the diversity, the ABNs are of significances in the production of bioenergy. Arabinan is mainly found in seeds, fruits, and vegetables. In guard cells, arabinan chains play a key role in determining cell wall flexibility, which was shown to be essential for stomata function. ABNs are key enzymes in the breakdown of plant cell wall arabinan. The products such as arabinose and arabino-oligosaccharides have potential applications as low-calorie sweetener and prebiotics. These enzymes are also considered promising tools in the environmental-friendly biomass conversion into energy and chemicals since pentoses can also be used as carbon sources. Therefore, more and more studies are oriented at developing high catalysis efficiency of the enzyme, where determination of enzyme activity is the basis of further research. The hydrolytic activity of ABNs can be measured by detecting the reducing sugar using the DNS method. The absorbance is monitored with the most advanced spectrophotometer at Creative Enzymes, which allows high throughputs of tests.

Figure: The native crystal structure of endo-1,5-alpha-l-arabinanases from Bacillus subtilis.
Reference: De Sanctis, D. et al. FEBS J. 2010 277: 4562-4574.

Creative Enzymes has extraordinary execution ability in enzyme services. Using the lately developed spectrophotometric assays, together with the comprehensive expertise and the skilled techniques, Creative Enzymes can achieve accurate test results even in highly complicated systems. With the ultimate goal of perfecting every activity test for our customers, we will never stop studying and upgrading enzyme assays.