Novel and biofunctional oligosaccharides have been synthesized by using transglycosylation of various hydrolases. The combination of many kinds of sugars and linkages makes it possible to produce a number of available oligosaccharides. However, there are few reports concerned with the synthesis of oligosaccharides linked with the glycosidic bond such as cello oligosaccharide. For developing this, the application of transglycosylation performed by cellulase may be the most effective.On the cellulose degradation, cellulases are divided into the major three groups: endo type cellulase (EC 3.2.1.4), cellobiohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.91) and glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21). Among these, it is known a certain glucosidase exhibits not only cellulose degradation but also glucosyl transfer with 1,2, 1,3 and 1,6 as well as 1,4 bonds. For this reactivity, glucosidase has been utilized for synthesis of glucosides linked with various bonds. 6,7) However it is expected that a new catalyst showing higher acceptor and linkage specificities to form favorite oligosaccharides more abundantly will be found.On the other hand, the structural analysis of transfer products provides some information about the action pattern of cellulase. There has been discussion about the hydrolysis mode of cellulose molecule, from the reducing or nonreducing end, performed by cellobiohydrolase using several methods. 2,8,9) However, about the directionality in hydrolysis in CBH I from T. reesei has been disputed. 2,9) Additionally, it is interesting to compare the transglycosylation behavior between exo and endo type cellulases. In this study, we have compared the potential of cellulases for transglycosyl reaction and investigated acceptor specificity.
MATERIALS AND METHODSEnzyme sources. All enzymes used in this study were purified from commercial enzyme preparations. CBH I, CBH II and EG II were obtained from Sumizyme C (from T. reesei, Shin Nihon Chemical Co., Ltd.). 10,11) Ex 1 and Exo A were also purified from Driselase (from I. lacteus, Kyowa Hakko Co., Ltd.) and Sumizyme AC (from A. niger, Shin Nihon Chemical Co., Ltd.), respectively.
12,13)Substrates. Cello oligosaccharides and pNP glycosides used in this experiment were purchased from Seikagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. Reduced cello oligosaccharides were prepared by the method of Barr et al .
8)Transglycosylation reaction. The reaction was carried out at 30 C in 4.2 M enzyme and 12.5 mM acetate buffer (CBH I, pH 4.0; CBH II, pH 4.5; Ex 1, pH 5.0; and EG II, pH 4.5) or 12.5 mM citrate HCl buffer (Exo A, pH 3.0) containing 1.25 mM G3 and 5 mM pNPG1 as a donor and an acceptor, respectively.