The enzyme α-galactosidase (α-D-galactoside galactohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.22) catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-1,6-linked galactose residues in oligosaccharides and polymeric galactomannan. The α-galactosidases are of particular interest in view of their many potential biotechnological and medical applications. These enzymes have found wide use in various industries such as food and feed, sugar and paper and pulp for the removal of raffinose and stachyose. They are also important medically for blood group conversion and in the treatment of Fabry disease. Most of the research on α-galactosidases has focused on their isolation from various microbial sources. In the last decade, cloning of novel α-galactosidase genes and their heterologous expression has gained momentum. The present review focuses on the production of α-galactosidases from bacteria, fungi and yeast, and discusses their properties. Recent progress on cloning and heterologous expression in various hosts is summarized with special emphasis on their application in various fields.

Biotechnological potential of microbial α-galactosidases

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “aquaculture, probably the fastest growing food-producing sector, now accounts for nearly 50 percent of the world's food fish” [1]. However, production is hampered by unpredictable mortalities that may be due to the negative interactions between fish and pathogenic bacteria. Intensive fish farming has resulted in a problematic growth in bacterial diseases, prompting the necessary and intensive use of antimicrobials for their treatment.

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Use of Yeasts as Probiotics in Fish Aquaculture

A novel α-galactosidase gene (aga2) was cloned from Bifidobacterium breve 203. It contained an ORF of 2226-bp nucleotides encoding 741 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 81.5 kDa. The recombinant enzyme Aga2 was heterogeneously expressed, purified and characterized. Regarding substrate specificity for hydrolysis, Aga2 was highly active towards p-nitrophenyl-α-d-galactopyranoside (pNPG). The Km value for pNPG was estimated to be 0.27 mM and for melibiose it was estimated to be 4.3 mM. Aga2 was capable of catalyzing transglycosylation as well as hydrolysis. The enzyme synthesized a trisaccharide (Gal-α-1, 4-Gal-α-1, 6-Glc) using melibiose as a substrate. It was a new oligosaccharide produced by glycosidase and contained Gal-α-1,4 linkage, a novel galactosidic link formed by microbial α-galactosidase. In the presence of pNPG as a donor, Aga2 was able to catalyze glycosyl transfer to various acceptors including monosaccharides, disaccharides and sugar alcohols.

Cloning and characterization of a novel α‐galactosidase from Bifidobacterium breve 203 capable of synthesizing Gal‐α‐1,4 linkage

https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/253386/1/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae_%ce%b1-Galactosidase.pdf

Structural Analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-Galactosidase and Its Complexes with Natural Substrates Reveals New Insights into Substrate Specificity of GH27 Glycosidases

This is the first study using molecular and culture-based methods aimed at investigating the composition of the intestinal yeast microbiota of wild and reared carnivorous salmonids, croaker and yellowtail, to characterize their cores and to evaluate the enzymatic activities of the cultivated yeast. Among 103 samples from salmonids, croaker and yellowtail, yeast were detected in 85.4%, with 43 species identified. The core of reared fish was composed of eight species, in contrast to the wild fish core, which consisted of two species: Debaryomyces hansenii and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Despite the smaller diversity of the wild fish core, similar enzymatic profiles were detected for the species from the wild and reared cores. For principal component analysis, samples grouped together independently of host species, domestication status and location. A high proportion of yeast produced aminopeptidases and lipases, which may be explained by the high proportion of protein and lipids in the carnivorous diet. This study reveals the presence of a yeast community in the fish gut that appears to be strongly shaped by a carnivorous diet. Yeast in the gut increases the repertoire of microorganisms interacting with the host intestine, which could influence health and disease.

Debaryomyces hansenii and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa comprised the yeast core gut microbiota of wild and reared carnivorous salmonids, croaker and yellowtail.

Raffinose oligosaccharides (RO) are the factors primarily responsible for flatulence upon ingestion of soybean-derived products. ROs are hydrolyzed by α-galactosidases that cleave α-1,6-linkages of α-galactoside residues. The objectives of this study were the purification and characterization of extracellular α-galactosidase from Debaryomyces hansenii UFV-1. The enzyme purified by gel filtration and anion exchange chromatographies presented an Mr value of 60 kDa and the N-terminal amino acid sequence YENGLNLVPQMGWN. The Km values for hydrolysis of pNPαGal, melibiose, stachyose, and raffinose were 0.30, 2.01, 9.66, and 16 mM, respectively. The α-galactosidase presented absolute specificity for galactose in the α-position, hydrolyzing pNPGal, stachyose, raffinose, melibiose, and polymers. The enzyme was noncompetitively inhibited by galactose (Ki = 2.7 mM) and melibiose (Ki = 1.2 mM). Enzyme treatments of soy milk for 4 h at 60 °C reduced the amounts of stachyose and raffinose by 100%. Keywords: α-Galactosi...

Virginia M. Marques

Papers

Extracellular α-galactosidase from Debaryomyces hansenii UFV-1 and its use in the hydrolysis of raffinose oligosaccharides