Glycosidases are a widespread class of hydrolytic enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of glycosidic bonds in a variety of substrates, including di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates, such as glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans. The implementation of new, sustainable biocatalytic methods is one of the priority areas of organic chemistry research, and the application of enzymes – protein biocatalysts – is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to complex and expensive chemical synthesis methods. Recently, special attention has been paid in the industry to efficient carbohydrate conversion methods using various glycoside hydrolases, however, the wider application of such enzymes is still limited by their availability.
Considering this, the aim of this doctoral studies is to develop and optimize selection systems for glycosidases with the desired regio- and/or anomeric selectivity. A combination of various approaches and techniques will be used to achieve this goal – synthesis of tailored substrates, generation of gene libraries and screening of enzymes. Using the developed systems, new variants of glycosidases will be identified and characterized. This will allow a better understanding of the structure-function relationships of glycosidases, their role in biochemical processes, and will open up new possibilities for the application of such enzymes.
Mokslinis vadovas / Supervisor:
Dr. Rolandas Meškys
Kontaktai / Contacts:
tel. / phone: +37068515589
Programme: Biochemistry N 004.