The microbial degradation of cellulose and xylans requires several types of
enzymes such as endoglucanases (EC 3.2.1.4), cellobiohydrolases (EC 3.2.1.91)
(exoglucanases), or xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) [1,2]. Fungi and bacteria produces
a spectrum of cellulolytic enzymes (cellulases) and xylanases which, on the
basis of sequence similarities, can be classified into families. One of these
families is known as the cellulase family A [3] or as the glycosyl hydrolases
family 5 [4,E1]. The enzymes which are currently known to belong to this
family are listed below.
Endoglucanases from various species and strains of Bacillus.
Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens endoglucanases 1 (end1) and A (celA).
Caldocellum saccharolyticum bifunctional endoglucanase/exoglucanase (celB).
This protein consists of two domains; it is the C-terminal domain, which
has endoglucanase activity, which belongs to this family.
Clostridium acetobutylicum endoglucanase (eglA).
Clostridium cellulolyticum endoglucanases A (celccA) and D (celccD).
Clostridium cellulovorans endoglucanase B (engB) and D (engD).
Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanases B (celB), C (celC), E (celE), G
(celG) and H (celH).
Erwinia chrysanthemi endoglucanase Z (celZ).
Fibrobacter succinogenes endoglucanase 3 (cel-3).
Pseudomonas fluorescens endoglucanase C (celC).
Pseudomonas solanacearum endoglucanase (egl).
Robillarda strain Y-20 endoglucanase I.
Ruminococcus albus endoglucanases I (EG-I), A (celA), and B (celB).
Ruminococcus flavefaciens cellodextrinase A (celA).
One of the conserved regions in these enzymes contains a conserved glutamic
acid residue which is potentially involved [5] in the catalytic mechanism.
We use this region as a signature pattern.
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