Carme Rovira (UB/ICREA) — Exploring complex mechanisms of enzymes involved in algae degradation

💡 A new RES Success Story about enzymes and its potential applications💡 

📋"Exploring complex mechanisms of enzymes involved in algae degradation" led by Carme Rovira Virgili from ICREA - Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats

Macroalgae are ancient, photosynthetic organisms that are essential primary producers in marine ecosystems. Their cell walls contain different polysaccharides and allow them to survive in challenging environments. The rheological and degradation properties of these carbohydrates have potential medical and biotechnological applications.

🦠Bacteria and fungi inhabit macroalgae and have evolved to feed by degrading the polysaccharides in their cell walls. The enzymes they use depend on the type of algae and its polysaccharides, mainly alginate in brown algae and agars and carrageenans in red algae. 

The joint research team was formed by scientists from Station Biologique de Roscoff, DTU - Technical University of Denmark and Carme Rovira Virgili's team: José Pablo Rivas-Fernández, Mert Sağıroğlugil and Irene Cuxart from Universitat de Barcelona.

They uncovered the catalytic mechanisms of three important enzyme families that degrade algal polysaccharides: two glycoside hydrolases that play a key role in degrading red algae and one alginate lyase that degrades brown algae with a previously unknown mechanism.

🖥️ Thanks to RES supercomputer #MareNostrum5 from Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the team conducted Quantum/Molecular dynamics simulations to model the chemical reactions in the active sites of these enzymes. They found details about reaction mechanisms and elusive transition states, offering new insights that can guide the design of enzyme inhibitors and aid in enzyme engineering for biotechnological purposes.

🖼️ The right image illustrates the structures of key enzymes (glycosyl hydrolases and alginate lyase) involved in degrading the polysaccharides (agar, carrageenan, and alginate) from red and brown algae.

More information about this project can be found at: 
https://lnkd.in/exrPyeis
https://lnkd.in/dCg-9SpY
https://lnkd.in/eAb3FsZ4