{"id":661970,"date":"2025-04-10T19:10:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T16:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/key-enzyme-mechanism-unlocks-potential-of-brown-algae-compounds-for-biotech\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T19:10:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T16:10:18","slug":"key-enzyme-mechanism-unlocks-potential-of-brown-algae-compounds-for-biotech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/key-enzyme-mechanism-unlocks-potential-of-brown-algae-compounds-for-biotech\/","title":{"rendered":"Key enzyme mechanism unlocks potential of brown algae compounds for biotech"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3df65f6a5a6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3df65f6a5a6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/key-enzyme-mechanism-unlocks-potential-of-brown-algae-compounds-for-biotech\/#Computational_analysis_with_the_MareNostrum_5_supercomputer\" >Computational analysis with the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/key-mechanism-to-obtai.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/key-mechanism-to-obtai.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The image shows the structure of the AL enzyme from the marine fungus Paradendryphiella salina, involved in the degradation of brown algae. Credit: University of Barcelona\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/key-mechanism-to-obtai.jpg\" alt=\"Key mechanism to obtaining brown algae-derived compounds with biotech applications\" title=\"The image shows the structure of the AL enzyme from the marine fungus Paradendryphiella salina, involved in the degradation of brown algae. Credit: University of Barcelona\" width=\"800\" height=\"408\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                The image shows the structure of the AL enzyme from the marine fungus Paradendryphiella salina, involved in the degradation of brown algae. Credit: University of Barcelona<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Every year, thousands of tons of brown algae are extracted from the seabed to obtain compounds such as alginates, a polymer composed of sugars that has high density and strength, offering potential biotechnological <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications. An international team led by the University of Barcelona has deciphered the mechanism by which a type of enzyme, called alginate lyase (AL), is capable of degrading these marine biomaterials, allowing them to be used as carriers of drugs, additives or thickeners, among others.<\/p>\n<p>These results, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-025-56754-5\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in <i>Nature Communications<\/i>, will help in the development and design of new &#8220;tailored alginates&#8221; for specific applications, especially in the food and biomedical industries.<\/p>\n<p>The UB team is formed by Jos\u00e9 Pablo Rivas-Fern\u00e1ndez, first author of the article, and Carme Rovira, ICREA research professor, both from the UB&#8217;s Faculty of Chemistry and the UB Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), in coordination with Casper Wilkens, biotechnologist at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Experts from the Norwegian University of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a> (NTNU) and North Carolina State University (United States) have also participated.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the abundance of alginates in the marine environment, their range of opportunities, especially in the biomedical sector, is severely limited by the inhomogeneity of their composition in the natural state\u2014they may contain a mixture of mannuronic acid and guluronic acid sugars in varying proportions. Knowledge of the mechanism of action of AL enzymes when they specifically break the bonds connecting the mannuronic acid-type sugars in this polymer will help to overcome these limitations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The results lay the groundwork for manipulating these enzymes and designing variants with better catalytic properties and higher efficiency on a large scale. By using industrial techniques and bioprocesses, it will be possible to optimize the production of &#8216;tailored alginates&#8217; in sufficient quantities to meet society&#8217;s needs,&#8221; the researchers explain.<\/p>\n<p>These findings will also allow for a &#8220;better use of natural resources and boost the green economy by using enzymes as key tools in the production of these alginates,&#8221; say the authors.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Computational_analysis_with_the_MareNostrum_5_supercomputer\"><\/span>Computational analysis with the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Part of the study was based on the computational analysis of the action mechanism of these enzymes, using as a starting point the three-dimensional structures of the AL enzyme in interaction with different alginate variants, obtained by the DTU collaborators.<\/p>\n<p>Based on this structure and using the resources of the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center\u2013Centro Nacional de Supercomputaci\u00f3n (BSC-CNS), the UB team has carried out molecular dynamics simulations, using multiscale quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics techniques to model and obtain a detailed description at the atomic level of the chemical reaction that takes place during the degradation of alginates.<\/p>\n<p>These simulations have reconciled previous scientific discrepancies about the number of stages in which the reaction occurs, confirming that it happens in a single stage and that the polymer breaks at the center, not at one end. They have also cleared the nature of the transition state\u2014the highest energy configuration during the reaction\u2014as a highly negatively charged species.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This finding suggests that we may be able to control at what point the polymer breaks down by mutations of certain amino acids in the enzyme&#8217;s active center,&#8221; the researchers explain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another important element of the study is that the enzymes analyzed belong to family 7 of lyases, the most abundant known to date, which allows extrapolating the mechanism described to other enzymes with high biotechnological potential.<\/p>\n<p>These findings also facilitate the identification of key residues or amino acids that can be targeted to improve the efficiency of these enzymes, a very promising line of research on which the UB team is already working.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the results improve the understanding of the chemical evolution of alginate during its degradation, a fundamental element for the design of probes capable of identifying and isolating alginate lyases, which have not yet been described. In this sense, UB researchers are currently working on the design of probes that allow the efficient identification of new enzymes active in carbohydrates.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJos\u00e9 Pablo Rivas-Fern\u00e1ndez et al, Unraveling the molecular mechanism of polysaccharide lyases for efficient alginate degradation, <i>Nature Communications<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-025-56754-5\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1038\/s41467-025-56754-5<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUniversity of Barcelona<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ub.edu\/homeub\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKey enzyme mechanism unlocks potential of brown algae compounds for biotech (2025, April 10)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 10 April 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-04-key-enzyme-mechanism-potential-brown.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-04-key-enzyme-mechanism-potential-brown.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The image shows the structure of the AL enzyme from the marine fungus Paradendryphiella salina, involved in the degradation of brown algae. Credit: University of Barcelona Every year, thousands of tons of brown algae are extracted from the seabed to obtain compounds such as alginates, a polymer composed of sugars that has high density and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":661971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/key-mechanism-to-obtai.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}