A novel family of hemicellulolytic alpha-glucuronidase.

Investigation of the xylanolytic enzyme system of the xylose-fermenting yeast Pichia stipitis resulted in the discovery of an extracellular alpha-glucuronidase efficiently debranching hardwood glucuronoxylan. This activity is not exhibited by more extensively investigated alpha-glucuronidases of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 67, operating on substrates in which the uronic acid is linked to the non-reducing xylopyranosyl residues of main chain fragments. The N-terminus of the purified enzyme corresponded exactly to the P. stipitis gene ABN67901 coding for a protein of unknown function. BLAST search revealed the presence of similar genes in genomes of other microorganisms. These results lead to the emergence of a new family of alpha-glucuronidases.