Novel xylan-degrading enzymes from polysaccharide utilizing loci of Prevotella copri DSM18205

Prevotella copri is a bacterium that can be found in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The role of P. copri in the GIT is unclear, and elevated numbers of the microbe have been reported both in dietary fiber-induced improvement in glucose metabolism but also in conjunction with certain inflammatory conditions. These findings raised our interest in investigating the possibility of P. copri to grow on xylan, and identify the enzyme systems playing a role in digestion of xylan-based dietary fibers. Two xylan degrading polysaccharide utilizing loci (PUL10 and 15) were found in the genome, with three and eight glycoside hydrolase (GH) -encoding genes, respectively. Three of them were successfully produced in Escherichia coli: One extracellular enzyme from GH43 (subfamily 12, in PUL10, 60 kDa) and two enzymes from PUL15, one extracellular GH10 (41 kDa), and one intracellular GH43 (subfamily 137 kDa). Based on our results, we propose that in PUL15, GH10 (1) is an extracellular endo-1,4-β-xylanase, that hydrolazes mainly glucuronosylated xylan polymers to xylooligosaccharides (XOS); while, GH43-1 in the same PUL, is an intracellular β-xylosidase, catalyzing complete hydrolysis of the XOS to xylose. In PUL10, the characterized GH43-12 is an arabinofuranosidase, with a role in degradation of arabinoxylan, catalyzing removal of arabinose-residues on xylan.