ARS | Publication request: FERULOYL ESTERASE - A KEY ENZYME IN BIOMASS DEGRADATION

Submitted to: Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: October 21, 2005
Publication Date: October 13, 2005
Citation: Wong, D. 2005. Feruloyl esterase - a key enzyme in biomass degradation. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 133:87-112.

Technical Abstract: Feruloyl esterase forms a part of the enzyme complex that acts collectively and synergistically to completely hydrolyze xylan to its monomers. The enzyme has found potential uses in a wide variety of applications of interest to the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries. This review describes the enzymology of the feruloyl esterases involved in xylan degradation. The occurance of feruloyl esterase in various microorganisms, and its physiochemical properties are presented. The nature of the enzyme substrates and products, the role of synergistic interactions with xylanases and other accessory enzymes, as well as the sequence-structure relating to the reaction mechanism, are emphasized.