AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-04-05DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01840-6
Fangcheng Hu, Yonggang Fang, Zahid Khan, Lianxi Xing
{"title":"Optimization of triterpenoids biosynthesis in Athelia termitophila as a source of natural products.","authors":"Fangcheng Hu, Yonggang Fang, Zahid Khan, Lianxi Xing","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01840-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01840-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Triterpenoids exhibit considerable potential and are extensively utilized in both food and pharmaceutical industries. However, Athelia termitophila (TMB) naturally harbors only trace amounts of these compounds. Consequently, this study sought to optimize the composition of the culture medium and its cultivation parameters to augment both triterpenoids biosynthesis and TMB biomass. To this end, a series of systematic experiments were carried out. At the outset, a One Factor at a Time (OFAT) approach was employed to identify key culture components and conditions. Based on the OFAT findings, six factors were selected for further investigation using the Plackett-Burman design (PBD) to assess their influence on triterpenoids production and biomass yield. The PBD outcomes pinpointed three critical factors-cultural duration, yeast extract powder, and KH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>-each of which was subjected to further optimization through the Box-Behnken design (BBD). The BBD analysis determined the optimal culture medium and conditions: 30 g/L corn starch, 13.44 g/L yeast extract powder, 4.74 g/L KH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>, a liquid-to-volume ratio of 130/250 mL, 6% inoculum volumes, and a cultivation period of 7.8 days. Upon optimization, both triterpenoids yield (1.9-fold increase) and mycelial biomass (1.66-fold increase) were significantly enhanced compared to the unoptimized medium. This study not only provides a robust methodology for enhancing triterpenoids content and mycelial biomass in TMB, but also contributes novel insights into the biosynthesis of triterpenoids.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11972269/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143787676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 in mice with acute pancreatitis.","authors":"Bingbing Du, Ren Yan, Xiaoxiang Hu, Jing Lou, Yixin Zhu, Yini Shao, Huiyong Jiang, Yingying Hao, Longxian Lv","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01867-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01867-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a prevalent acute gastrointestinal disease, which may be prevented and alleviated by probiotics. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 (BB-12) is a widely studied probiotic strain; however, its specific effects in this context remain unexplored. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of BB-12 in AP. Our findings revealed that BB-12 administration via gavage significantly reduced pathological pancreatic damage and serum amylase activity. Microbiome analysis showed that BB-12 treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus and decreased that of Bilophila in the gut microbiota of mice with AP. Transcriptome analysis revealed that BB-12 mitigated the AP-induced dysregulation of several pathways, specifically attenuating the upregulation of the pancreatic secretion and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism pathways while reversing the downregulation of the ribosome, oxidative phosphorylation, and thermogenesis pathways. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between the abundances of Bilophila and ASF356 and serum amylase activity. Furthermore, the abundances of Bilophila and ASF356 were significantly correlated with BB-12-regulated pancreatic genes and were predominantly enriched in the ribosome pathway. In conclusion, BB-12 pretreatment alleviated AP, likely by regulating the abundance of intestinal Lactobacillus, Bilophila, and ASF356, as well as the pancreatic secretion, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome, and thermogenesis pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11972277/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143787678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-04-02DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01860-2
Salsabeel N El Gendy, Amira K Elmotayam, Reham Samir, Marwa I Ezzat, Mahmoud T Abo-Elfadl, Aly M El Sayed
{"title":"Biotransformation of quercetin by Bacillus subtilis and anticancer activity evaluation: in vitro and in Silico.","authors":"Salsabeel N El Gendy, Amira K Elmotayam, Reham Samir, Marwa I Ezzat, Mahmoud T Abo-Elfadl, Aly M El Sayed","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01860-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01860-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biotransformation of quercetin by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 23,857 yielded a major metabolite; apigenin-7-O-pentoside (A7P) and 9 other phenolic metabolites. They were elucidated by LC-ESI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Furthermore, the cytotoxic potential of the biotransformed products was compared to their parent substrate (S) using MTT assay against 2 cancer cell lines; A549 and Caco-2. After 72 h. incubation, the BPs showed concentration-dependent cytotoxic activity against Caco-2 and A549 with IC<sub>50</sub> equal to 0.32 and 0.78 mg/ml, respectively. Both BPs and S were safe on the normal human skin fibroblast (hFB) cell line. Molecular docking confirmed the high binding affinity of A7P towards phosphatidyl inositide 3-kinase delta (PI3Kδ) and Cathepsin B protein (CatB) expressed in lung and colorectal cancer cells compared to quercetin suggesting higher anticancer activity. The present findings suggest that the application of biotransformation techniques using bacteria as B. subtilis can enhance the biological activity of flavonoids by generating bioactive metabolites.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"58"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11965081/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-04-02DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01863-z
Samah S Abuzahrah
{"title":"Exploring the microorganisms biodiversity associated with sponge species in the red sea through 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing.","authors":"Samah S Abuzahrah","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01863-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01863-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Around the world, sponges play a significant role in marine ecosystems, and a wide variety of sponge species can be found in the coast of Red Sea of Saudi Arabia. The unique environmental conditions of the Red Sea, including warm, oligotrophic water and high salinity, have encouraged the growth of abundant sponge fauna. Our study aims to investigate the biodiversity, taxonomic composition, and phylogenetic relationships of eukaryotic organisms linked with sponges in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia and infer the possible ecological roles and functional contributions of the identified eukaryotic taxa to sponge health and ecosystem functioning. The study investigated the microbial diversity, focusing on the genera Hyalosynedra sp., Navicula sp., Papiliocellulus sp., Psammodictyon sp., Pynococcus sp., Ostreococcus sp., Micromonas sp., and other unclassified species. Our metagenomic analysis and phylogenetic evaluation revealed a deep and diverse microbial community, with each genus performing significant ecological roles, including nutrient cycling, primary production, and contributing to marine food networks. Moreover, these genera display promising biotechnological prospects, including uses in bioremediation, biofuel production, and the synthesis of high-value biomolecules. Comparative analysis with other marine regions has focused on both the similarities and unique aspects of the Red Sea microbial community, which are influenced by its distinct environmental conditions. The gained findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the ecological dynamics in the Red Sea and open new avenues for biotechnological exploration in marine ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"60"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11965075/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-04-02DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01866-w
Biqing Luan, Yang Yang, Qizhi Yang, Zhiqiang Li, Zhihui Xu, Yaqin Chen, Meiting Wang, Wenlin Chen, Fei Ge
{"title":"Gut microbiota, blood metabolites, & pan-cancer: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization & mediation analysis.","authors":"Biqing Luan, Yang Yang, Qizhi Yang, Zhiqiang Li, Zhihui Xu, Yaqin Chen, Meiting Wang, Wenlin Chen, Fei Ge","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01866-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01866-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We propose using Mendelian randomization analysis on GWAS data and MetaboAnalyst to model gut microbiota, metabolic pathways, blood metabolites, and cancer risk. We examined 473 gut microbiota, 205 pathways, 1400 metabolites, and 8 cancers. Results were validated through bidirectional two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR), heterogeneity tests, and pathway enrichment, leading to a mediation pathway model. We identified 129 gut microbiota, 57 pathways, and 463 metabolites linked to cancer, and 34 significant plasma pathways. 15 microbiota, 8 pathways, and 58 metabolites implicated in multiple cancers. Eight plasma metabolic pathways are involved in the development of multiple types of cancer. Through Multivariate Mendelian Randomization (MVMR) and mediation analysis, we found 9 mediation pathways, offering novel targets and research directions for cancer pathogenesis and treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"59"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11965084/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-03-29DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01848-y
Nada A Abdelrazek, Sarra E Saleh, Marwa M Raafat, Amal E Ali, Mohammad M Aboulwafa
{"title":"Correction to: Production of highly cytotoxic and low immunogenic L-asparaginase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia EMCC2297.","authors":"Nada A Abdelrazek, Sarra E Saleh, Marwa M Raafat, Amal E Ali, Mohammad M Aboulwafa","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01848-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01848-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"57"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11954759/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-03-28DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01870-0
Yibiao Zhang, Xiaoyun Ye, Jiancong Xu, Jixiao He, Xiaobing Lu
{"title":"Identification and functional characterization of glycosyltransferase-related biomarkers for tuberculosis diagnosis.","authors":"Yibiao Zhang, Xiaoyun Ye, Jiancong Xu, Jixiao He, Xiaobing Lu","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01870-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01870-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that presents a serious risk to public health. Glycosyltransferase-related genes (GTRGs) are instrumental in assessing the risk of latent tuberculosis infection progressing to active TB. This study aims to develop novel, accurate, and effective diagnostic markers to enhance the early diagnosis and precision treatment of TB. We employed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to explore key genes that are notably linked toTB. In addition, we employed single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) to examine the differences in immune cell infiltration between normal tissues and those affected by TB. The effectiveness of the potential biomarkers was evaluated through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and their expression patterns. We also conducted single-gene enrichment analysis to explore the biological functions and pathway activities linked to the characteristic genes. Finally, we constructed a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network to elucidate the potential regulatory mechanisms governing these genes. Through the screening of hub genes and differentially expressed genes from the GTRGs, we identified two potential biomarkers: B4GALT5 and KCNJ2. Evaluation results indicated that these characteristic genes displayed strong diagnostic performance in both the training and validation cohorts. Moreover, single-gene enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were primarily enriched in apoptosis pathways closely associated with TB treatment. Additionally, the construction of the mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA network identified 82 miRNAs and 65 lncRNAs. This study elucidates the roles of GTRGs in TB, identifies biomarkers associated with these groups, and establishes the lncRNA expression profile of characteristic genes. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the early diagnosis of TB.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"56"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11953506/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-03-28DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01868-8
Sara Monem Moharrer, Maryam Pourhajibagher, Arash Azizi, Arezoo Alaee
{"title":"Anti-virulence effect of photoactivated nano-quercetin by diode laser on Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.","authors":"Sara Monem Moharrer, Maryam Pourhajibagher, Arash Azizi, Arezoo Alaee","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01868-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01868-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative, non-invasive, and selective treatment approach that has gained attention as an adjunctive treatment in periodontitis. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is an opportunistic periodontopathogen known for its ability to form biofilms. The objective of this in vitro study was to determine the anti-virulence effect of nano-quercetin (N-QT)-mediated PDT on the expression of a gene associated with biofilm formation of A. actinomycetemcomitans. After synthesis and characterization of N-QT by transmission electron microscopes (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential analysis, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, the effects of different concentrations of N-QT and energy densities of diode laser alone on cell viability of A. actinomycetemcomitans were evaluated. A. actinomycetemcomitans was then treated by sub-lethal doses of diode laser emitting light in the presence of sub-lethal doses of N-QT. Ultimately, the sub-lethal dose of PDT was used to investigate the metabolic activity of A. actinomycetemcomitans, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and changes in rcpA, qseB, and qseC genes expression using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method. According to the results, TEM, DLS, zeta potential, and FTIR confirmed the synthesis of N-QT. PDT with concentrations of 16 to 512 µg/mL of N-QT alone and irradiation for 6 min with an energy density of 154.8 J/cm<sup>2</sup> alone caused a significant decrease in bacterial count (P < 0.05). PDT with 8 µg/mL N-QT and 5-min irradiation achieved the highest metabolic activity reduction (42.9%), while 2 µg/mL N-QT and 4-min irradiation yielded the lowest reduction (12.3%). Using 8 µg/mL of N-QT with light exposure for 4 and 5 min at energy densities of 103.9 and 129 J/cm² led to ROS levels that were 2.67- and 2.83-fold higher than those in the control cells, respectively (P < 0.05). Additionally, the sub-lethal dose of PDT with 5 min of irradiation in the presence of 2 µg/mL of N-QT resulted in a 2.62-, 2.85-, and 3.21-fold decrease in the expression levels of the rcpA, qseB, and qseC genes, respectively (P < 0.05). PDT utilizing N-QT and diode laser shows promise in suppressing cellular survival and emerges as a viable strategy for targeting A. actinomycetemcomitans virulence.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"55"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11953505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AMB ExpressPub Date : 2025-03-26DOI: 10.1186/s13568-025-01836-2
Hussam H Arafat, Mahmoud A Shoulkamy, Mohamed M Imam, Amany M A Ali
{"title":"A novel Enterococcus durans with antimicrobial, anti-diabetes and anti-alzheimer activities isolated from Egypt.","authors":"Hussam H Arafat, Mahmoud A Shoulkamy, Mohamed M Imam, Amany M A Ali","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01836-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01836-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enterococcus sp. is a subset of lactic acid bacteria that have beneficial effects on human health including prevention of gut chronic diseases, controlling Alzheimer and diabetes. The study involves morphological and biochemical identification of Enterococcus sp. and 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods, alongside an exploration of it's antimicrobial, anti-diabetes and anti-Alzheimer efficacy. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) derived from this isolate (Enterococcus durans) exhibited a significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) with inhibition zones of 31.1, 33 and 27 mm, respectively and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi) bacteria, recording inhibition zones of 24, 25 and 30 mm, respectively. The least values of MIC and MBC were 15.62 µg/ml and 31.25 µg/ml, respectively; in case of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The highest MIC and MBC were 62.5 µg/ml and 250 µg/ml respectively, when testing CFS against Klebsiella pneumonia. Notably, the stability of CFS was maintained at various temperatures, including autoclaving conditions (121 ℃). The isolate displayed tolerance across a wide pH range (2.5-9.5), with enhanced activity observed at acidic pH levels. Butyrylcholinesterase inhibition was estimated to be 84.6%, while amylase inhibition was 97.6% & 94.2%, respectively. GC-MS revealed metabolites not defined previously in enterococci: 1H-purin-6-amine, [(2-fluorophenyl) methyl]-(29.72%), hexadecanoic acid, 2, 3 dihydroxypro polyester (18.60%), oleic acid (11.60%) and 9-octadecenamide (6.54%). Hence, our strain is a reservoir of strong bioactive compounds, with antimicrobial, anti-diabetes and anti- Alzheimer potentials.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"54"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11947379/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143717629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"His<sup>70</sup> of Acetivibrio alkalicellulosi Cel5A is important for efficient hydrolysis of short cellodextrins.","authors":"Mengxiang Jia, Yangyang Chen, Jingting Wang, Jiahan Wang, Yihua Ma, Yujiao Wang, Qian Ma, Yiheng Zhang, Weidong Liu, Kuanqing Liu","doi":"10.1186/s13568-025-01858-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13568-025-01858-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cellulose, a linear glucan linked by β-1,4 glycosidic bonds, is the most abundant renewable polysaccharide on earth. Complete enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose liberates the readily metabolizable glucose that could be further converted to valuable biocommodities, and essential to this process are cellulases that hydrolyze the β-1,4 glycosidic bonds. Cellulases are among the most intensively studied and best understood enzymes, and many key residues have been uncovered and interrogated with respect to their functions in catalysis and/or substrate binding. However, it remains to be explored whether additional residues, especially in many poorly characterized cellulases such as processive endoglucanases, might also be functionally important. Here, we investigated a processive endoglucanase from an alkaliphilic bacterium Acetivibrio alkalicellulosi AaCel5A that consists of a glycohydrolase family 5 (GH5) domain and two tandem carbohydrate-binding module family 6 (CBM6) domains. Via structure-guided engineering, we uncovered the functional importance of a previously underexplored but relatively conserved histidine (histidine70 or His<sup>70</sup>). His<sup>70</sup> itself appears to be largely dispensable for hydrolyzing β-1,4 glycosidic bonds, but it is important for efficient hydrolysis of short cellodextrins such as cellotriose, cellotetraose, and cellopentaose, likely through its ability to coordinate substrate binding. Our work thus provides important mechanistic insights into how processive endoglucanases may act on short cellodextrins.</p>","PeriodicalId":7537,"journal":{"name":"AMB Express","volume":"15 1","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11926323/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143668851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}