Two Distinct α-L-Arabinofuranosidases in Caldicellulosiruptor Species Drive Degradation of Arabinose-Based Polysaccharides

Species in the extremely thermophilic genus Caldicellulosiruptor can degrade unpretreated plant biomass through the action of multimodular glycoside hydrolases. To date, most focus with these bacteria has been on hydrolysis of glucans and xylans, while the biodegradation mechanism for arabinose-based polysaccharides remains unclear. Here, putative alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases (AbFs) were identified in Caldicellulosiruptor species by homology to less-thermophilic versions of these enzymes. From this screen, an extracellular XynF was determined to be a key factor in hydrolyzing alpha-1,2-, alpha-1,3-, and alpha-1,5-L-arabinofuranosyl residues of arabinose-based polysaccharides. Combined with a GH11 xylanase (XynA), XynF increased arabinoxylan hydrolysis more than 6-fold compared to the level seen with XynA alone, likely the result of XynF removing arabinofuranosyl side chains to generate linear xylans that were readily degraded. A second AbF, the intracellular AbF51, preferentially cleaved the alpha-1,5-L-arabinofuranosyl glycoside bonds within sugar beet arabinan. beta-Xylosidases, such as GH39 Xyl39B, facilitated the hydrolysis of arabinofuranosyl residues at the nonreducing terminus of the arabinose-branched xylo-oligosaccharides by AbF51. These results demonstrate the separate but complementary contributions of extracellular XynF and cytosolic AbF51 in processing the bioconversion of arabinose-containing oligosaccharides to fer-mentable monosaccharides. IMPORTANCE Degradation of hemicellulose, due to its complex chemical structure, presents a major challenge during bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bio-based fuels and chemicals. Degradation of arabinose-containing polysaccharides, in particular, can be a key bottleneck in this process. Among Caldicellulosiruptor species, the multimodular arabinofuranosidase XynF is present in only selected members of this genus. This enzyme exhibited high hydrolysis activity, broad specificity, and strong synergism with other chemicellulases acting on arabino-polysaccharides. An intracellular arabinofuranosidase, AbF51, occurs in all Caldicellulosiruptor species and, in conjunction with xylosidases, processes the bioconversion of arabinose-branched oligosaccharides to fermentable monosaccharides. Taken together, the data suggest that plant biomass degradation in Caldicellulosiruptor species involves extracellular XynF that acts synergistically with other hemicellulases to digest arabino-polysaccharides that are subsequently transported and degraded further by intracellular AbF51 to produce short-chain arabino sugars.