Multifunctional cellulases are potent, versatile tools for a renewable bioeconomy

Enzyme performance is critical to the future bioeconomy based on renewable plant materials. Plant biomass can be efficiently hydrolyzed by multifunctional cellulases (MFCs) into sugars suitable for conversion into fuels and chemicals, and MFCs fall into three functional categories. Recent work revealed MFCs with broad substrate specificity, dual exo-activity/endo-activity on cellulose, and intramolecular synergy, among other novel characteristics. Binding modules and accessory catalytic domains amplify MFC and xylanase activity in a wide variety of ways, and processive endoglucanases achieve autosynergy on cellulose. Multidomain MFCs from Caldicellulosiruptor are heat-tolerant, adaptable to variable cellulose crystallinity, and may provide interchangeable scaffolds for recombinant design. Further studies of MFC properties and their reactivity with plant biomass are recommended for increasing biorefinery yields.

Automated summary

Enzyme performance is crucial for the bioeconomy based on renewable plant materials, especially multifunctional cellulases (MFCs) which play a key role in efficiently hydrolyzing plant biomass into sugars. Recent research has revealed novel characteristics of MFCs, such as broad substrate specificity and intramolecular synergy. Utilizing binding modules and accessory catalytic domains can amplify enzyme activity, while multidomain MFCs from Caldicellulosiruptor show potential for recombinant design.