Insights into promiscuous chitosanases: the known and the unknown

Chitosanase, a glycoside hydrolase (GH), catalyzes the cleavage of beta-1,4-glycosidic bonds in polysaccharides and is widely distributed in nature. Many organisms produce chitosanases, and numerous chitosanases in the GH families have been intensely studied. The reported chitosanases mainly cleaved the inter-glucosamine glycosidic bonds, while substrate specificity is not strictly unique due to the existence of bifunctional or multifunctional activity profiles. The promiscuity of chitosanases is essential for the different pathways of biomass polysaccharide conversion and understanding of the chitosanase evolutionary process. However, the reviews for this aspect are completely unknown. This review provides an overview of the promiscuous activities, also considering the substrate and product specificity of chitosanases observed to date. These contribute to important implications for the future discovery and research of promiscuous chitosanases and applications related to biomass conversion.

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of the promiscuous activities and substrate specificity of chitosanases, contributing important implications for the future discovery and research of promiscuous chitosanases and applications related to biomass conversion.