Arabinoxylan is a key non-starch polysaccharide found in the cell walls of cereals like wheat. The structures of arabinoxylans are built around D-xylose backbones to which various substituents are attached: L-arabinofuranose, glucuronic acid, and acetyl groups. The O5-esterification of some L-arabinofuranoses and side-chain oligosaccharide units with hydroxycinnamic acids is a distinguishing characteristic of cereal grain arabinoxylans. To produce xylo-oligosaccharides, the desired probiotic, endo-β-xylanases stand out as the main enzymes, however multiply modifications of the main chain require the specific enzymes active towards chemically distinct branches.
The aim of this doctoral studies is to screen and characterize novel microbial enzymes converting wheat arabinoxylans, a waste of the starch production, into products of higher value. A combination of various approaches and techniques will be used to achieve this goal – an isolation and characterization of arabinoxylans-hydrolysing microorganisms, analysis of genomes of the selected microbes, identification of the desired enzymes using the bioinformatics and proteome analysis, gene cloning, purification and characterization of the recombinant proteins. It is expected that novel variants of enzymes active towards various chemical bonds in arabinoxylans will be identified and characterized. This will open new possibilities for the efficient bioconversion of arabinoxylans.
Mokslinis vadovas / Supervisor: prof. dr. Rolandas Meškys
Kontaktai / Contacts:
tel. / phone: +37068515589
Programme: Chemistry engineering (Biotechnology) T 005