Differences in the substrate specificities and active-site structures of two α-L-fucosidases (glycoside hydrolase family 29) from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Recent studies suggest that α-L-fucosidases of glycoside hydrolase family 29 can be divided into two subfamilies based on substrate specificity and phylogenetic clustering. To explore the validity of this classification, we enzymatically characterized two structure-solved α-L-fucosidases representing the respective subfamilies. Differences in substrate specificities are discussed in relation to differences in active-site structures between the two enzymes.