1,079
Views
70
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review Article

Biotechnological potential of microbial α-galactosidases

, , &
Pages 307-317 | Received 19 Mar 2012, Accepted 05 Feb 2013, Published online: 13 Aug 2013
 

Abstract

The enzyme α-galactosidase (α-D-galactoside galactohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.22) catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-1,6-linked galactose residues in oligosaccharides and polymeric galactomannan. The α-galactosidases are of particular interest in view of their many potential biotechnological and medical applications. These enzymes have found wide use in various industries such as food and feed, sugar and paper and pulp for the removal of raffinose and stachyose. They are also important medically for blood group conversion and in the treatment of Fabry disease. Most of the research on α-galactosidases has focused on their isolation from various microbial sources. In the last decade, cloning of novel α-galactosidase genes and their heterologous expression has gained momentum. The present review focuses on the production of α-galactosidases from bacteria, fungi and yeast, and discusses their properties. Recent progress on cloning and heterologous expression in various hosts is summarized with special emphasis on their application in various fields.

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Program for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 31240003) and National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, No. 2011AA100905).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.