Edited by Judit Ov adiStarch-binding modules of family 20 (CBM20) are present in 60% of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) catalyzing the oxidative breakdown of starch, which highlights functional importance in LPMO activity. The substrate-binding properties of starch-active LMPOs, however, are currently unexplored. Affinities and binding-thermodynamics of two recombinant fungal LPMOs toward starch and b-cyclodextrin were shown to be similar to fungal CBM20s. Amplex Red assays showed ascorbate and Cu-dependent activity, which was inhibited in the presence of b-cylodextrin and amylose. Phylogenetically, the clustering of CBM20s from starch-targeting LPMOs and hydrolases was in accord with taxonomy and did not correlate to appended catalytic activity. Altogether, these results demonstrate that the CBM20-binding scaffold is retained in the evolution of hydrolytic and oxidative starch-degrading activities.
Keywords: AA13;carbohydrate-binding module; CBM20; lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase; starch binding; b-cyclodextrin Starch is a major renewable energy storage polysaccharide in plants and an important resource not only as a food but also as an industrial feedstock in biofuels, pharmaceuticals, detergents, and cosmetics [1][2][3]. Starch consists of two types of homo-glucose polymers: the mainly linear a-1,4-linked amylose and amylopectin, constituting 65-82% (w/w) of the starch granule and differing from amylose by having a larger molecular mass and roughly 5% a-1,6-branches of 12-15 glucosyl units long on average [2,4,5]. Starch is biosynthesized as insoluble granules, varying in size, morphology, crystal packing, and crystallinity that ranges from 15 to 45% depending on botanical origin [6][7][8]. Radially alternating amorphous and semicrystalline layers in the starch granule arise from the packing of double helices formed by adjacent branches in amylopectin, with the semicrystalline regions contributing to resistance of starch to enzymatic degradation [9,10]. Many industrial applications require the disruption of starch granules through hydrothermal, harsh chemical, or enzymatic treatments [11][12][13]. Despite development of relatively efficient a-amylases and other starch-degrading enzymes, there is still a significant margin for improving starch hydrolysis yields and shortening processing time, which would significantly reduce energy and costs of the process [14,15].Typically, glycoside hydrolases (GHs) that degrade complex polysaccharides possess carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) that promote enzyme-substrate proximity and thereby enhance catalytic efficiency [16,17]. Moreover, CBMs can also modulate the specificity and activity of cognate enzymes against plant cell wall Abbreviations AA, auxiliary activity; CAZy, carbohydrate-active enzymes; CBM, carbohydrate-binding module; DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; GH, glycoside hydrolase; ITC, isothermal titration calorimetry; LPMO, lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase; SBS, starch-binding site; SDS/PAGE, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide ge...