Feruloyl esterases: Biocatalysts to overcome biomass recalcitrance and for the production of bioactive compounds

Abstract

Ferulic acid and its hydroxycinnamate derivatives represent one of the most abundant forms of low molecular weight phenolic compounds in plant biomass. Feruloyl esterases are part of a microorganism's plant cell wall-degrading enzymatic arsenal responsible for cleaving insoluble wall-bound hydroxycinnamates and soluble cytosolic conjugates. Stimulated by industrial requirements, accelerating scientific discoveries and knowledge transfer, continuous improvement efforts have been made to identify, create and repurposed biocatalysts dedicated to plant biomass conversion and biosynthesis of high-added value molecules. Here we review the basic knowledge and recent advances in biotechnological characteristics and the gene content encoding for feruloyl esterases. Information about several enzymes is systematically organized according to their function, biochemical properties, substrate specificity, and biotechnological applications. This review contributes to further structural, functional, and biotechnological R&D both for obtaining hydroxycinnamates from agricultural by-products as well as for lignocellulose biomass treatments aiming for production of bioethanol and other derivatives of industrial interest.

A carbohydrate-binding family 48 module enables feruloyl esterase action on polymeric arabinoxylan

“…They are found in both bacteria and fungi and are grouped in carbohydrate esterase family 1 (CE1) in the Carbohydrate-Active EnZyme database (CAZy) (www.cazy.org) (9). All CE1 feruloyl esterases with known structure share the α/β-hydrolase fold of a central β-sheet flanked by α-helices (8). The catalytic triad is located in a hydrophobic binding pocket that is often capped by a flexible lid (10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Low-Cost Cellulase-Hemicellulase Mixture Secreted by Trichoderma harzianum EM0925 with Complete Saccharification Efficacy of Lignocellulose

“…Glucosidase, xylosidase, and arabinofuranosidase played key roles in the production of glucose, xylose, and arabinose, respectively. In addition, mannosidase, galactosidase, and esterase were also necessary to deconstruct the complex lignocellulose [40]. It was reported that T. harzianum LZ117 could secrete a more complete enzyme cocktail than T. reesei.…”

A Rapid Method for the Selection of Amidohydrolases from Metagenomic Libraries by Applying Synthetic Nucleosides and a Uridine Auxotrophic Host

“…3.1.1.73), also known as ferulic acid esterases (FAE), cinnamoyl esterases, and cinnamic acid hydrolases, are a subclass of the carboxylic acid esterases (E.C. 3.1.1.1) that are able to hydrolyse the ester bond between hydroxycinnamic acids and sugars present in the plant cell walls [39][40][41]. Tannase (E.C.3.1.1.20) is an inducible microbial enzyme that hydrolyses ester and depside bonds in hydrolysable tannins to The phylogenetic analysis of metagenome fragments was conducted using the Maximum Likelihood Tree routine of MEGA 10 software.…”