Sequence fingerprints of enzyme specificities from the glycoside hydrolase family GH57

The glycoside hydrolase family 57 (GH57) contains five well-established enzyme specificities: alpha-amylase, amylopullulanase, branching enzyme, 4-alpha-glucanotransferase and alpha-galactosidase. Around 700 GH57 members originate from and , a substantial number being produced by thermophiles. An intriguing feature of family GH57 is that only slightly more than 2 % of its members (i.e., less than 20 enzymes) have already been biochemically characterized. The main goal of the present bioinformatics study was to retrieve from databases, and analyze in detail, sequences having clear features of the five GH57 enzyme specificities mentioned above. Of the 367 GH57 sequences, 56 were evaluated as alpha-amylases, 99 as amylopullulanases, 158 as branching enzymes, 46 as 4-alpha-glucanotransferases and 8 as alpha-galactosidases. Based on the analysis of collected sequences, sequence logos were created for each specificity and unique sequence features were identified within the logos. These features were proposed to define the so-called sequence fingerprints of GH57 enzyme specificities. Domain arrangements characteristic of the individual enzyme specificities as well as evolutionary relationships within the family GH57 are also discussed. The results of this study could find use in rational protein design of family GH57 amylolytic enzymes and also in the possibility of assigning a GH57 specificity to a hypothetical GH57 member prior to its biochemical characterization.