Potential Industrial Applications and Evolution of Carbohydrolases and Glycansucrases

Dextrans make up a class of polysaccharides that are D-glucans of various structures with contiguous $\alpha$-1longrightarrow6 ~6 glycosidic linkages in the main chains and $\alpha$-1longrightarrow2, $\alpha$-1longrightarrow3, or $\alpha$-1longrightarrow4 branch glycosidic linkages, depending on the specificity of the particular dextransucrase. Glucansucrases that catalyze glucans synthesis from sucrose. When other carbohydrates, in addition to sucrose, are present in the enzyme digest, the enzyme transfers glucose to the carbohydrate acceptors in the secondary reaction that diverts some of the glucose from incorporation into glucan. Many carbohydrate acceptors have been recognized and the products that result are dependent on the particular enzyme and the structure of the particular acceptor. Because of these unique catalytic characteristics, various dextransucrases have many important industrial and medical uses. To improve the understanding of their action mode and extend their applications, this study describes mechanism of glucan synthesis and potential industrial uses of dextransucrases, and our recent findings on the structural, functional organization and directed evolution of the glucansucrases to offer for designing glucansucrases with improved properties.