Xylose and Glucose Isomerase Characterization and Applications

Xylose and glucose isomerases are pivotal biocatalysts that convert five- and six-carbon sugars into their respective ketose forms, thus underpinning both microbial metabolism and a range of industrial processes. Structurally, these metalloenzymes adopt tetrameric assemblies in which divalent metal ions, most commonly Mg2+ or Co2+, coordinate with active-site residues to facilitate reversible isomerisation of D-xylose to D-xylulose and D-glucose to D-fructose. The characterisation of their kinetics, substrate specificity and metal-binding architecture has evolved alongside advances in crystallography and spectroscopic analysis. Industrially, glucose isomerase remains indispensable for high-fructose corn syrup manufacture, while xylose isomerase is crucial for lignocellulosic bioethanol production through the conversion of hemicellulose-derived pentoses. Recent efforts have focused on enhancing thermostability, catalytic efficiency and in vivo performance via protein engineering, immobilisation and exploration of extremophilic sources. Emerging trends include metagenomic mining for novel isomerases, structure-guided mutagenesis to tailor metal affinity and the integration of engineered enzymes into consolidated bioprocessing platforms to improve sustainability and yield in bio-refinery applications.

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Xylose and Glucose Isomerase Characterization and Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in xylose and glucose isomerase characterization and applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Xylose isomerase: Enzyme that converts D-xylose into D-xylulose, enabling utilisation of pentose sugars in microbial metabolism and bioethanol production.

Glucose isomerase: Enzyme catalysing the reversible isomerisation of D-glucose to D-fructose, central to high-fructose corn syrup manufacture.

Directed evolution: Iterative process of mutagenesis and selection used to enhance enzyme properties such as activity, stability or substrate specificity.

Metalloenzyme: Enzyme requiring one or more metal ions for structural integrity and catalytic function, often involving coordinated binding in the active site.

References

1. Glucose Isomerase: Functions, Structures, and Applications. Applied Sciences (2022).
2. Structure-based directed evolution improves S. cerevisiae growth on xylose by influencing in vivo enzyme performance. Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts (2020).
3. A Novel Glucose Isomerase from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii with Great Potentials in the Production of High‐Fructose Corn Syrup. BioMed Research International (2020).