Microbial Beta Glucanases : Molecular Structure, Functions and Applications

This book offers an overview of the current knowledge on beta glucanase enzymes derived from actinobacterial source, their structure, functions and industrial applications. It summarizes the exploitation of actinomycetes, assay methods for beta glucanase screening, structural characterisation, genetic engineering, protein engineering, strategies for purification, characterisation and finally how to synthesize a hybrid enzyme of beta glucanases.Enzyme beta glucanases have considerable interest in industrial biotechnology owing to its distinct effect on the hydrolysis of insoluble beta glucan molecules and applications in particular industrial sectors such as food, feed and beverages industries. The beta glucanases are characterized extensively in microorganisms viz. bacteria, fungi and also in plants. A wide varieties of actinobacterial β- glucanases have exclusively active on β-glucan substrates and cleave the mixed linkage β-glucan chains at different points. This is significant for picking precise substrates for the assay of each type of enzymes within this enzyme groups. The well recognized specificity and mechanism of action within the enormous substrates allow to understand that most of them are varied from cellulases, excluding β-1,4-glucanases. The progress in genetic and protein engineering in actinobacterial beta glucanases improves the stability, activity and thermodynamic properties in relation with industrial relevance. This book will be useful for researchers and students engaged in industrial biotechnology, enzyme production, molecular biology, protein engineering and many more.

Dr. N.S. Pradeep is currently working as a principal scientist at KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and the Institute for Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He obtained his PhD from Gandhigram University, Madurai, India. He has more than 25 years of research experience in various fields of plant science. Dr. Pradeep has published several research papers in national and international journals and has one patent to his credit. Twelve students obtained PhD under his mentorship so far. He is the author/editor of several books and life member of the Association of Microbiologists of India, Mushroom Society of India, the Indian Mycological Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, and Kerala Academy of Sciences, among others. He is also a fellow of the Kerala Academy of Sciences. Dr. Pradeep is also associated with the Kerala State Biodiversity Board in various capacities. His major area of interest is biodiversity and biotechnology. Dr. Pradeep is also actively involved in science popularization and training, and he was a research committee member of the Integrated Rural Technology Centre, Kerala, India. Currently, he is the governing council member of the Sophisticated Test and Instrumentation Centre (STIC), Kochi, and task force member of the women’s biotechnology programs, Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.

Dr. Lekshmi K. Edison was born in Kerala, India. She received her undergraduate degree in zoology and master’s degree in biotechnology from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India, and postgraduate diploma in bioinformatics from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. She obtained her doctoral degree in biotechnology from the University of Kerala in 2019 under the supervision of Dr. N. S. Pradeep at KSCSTE-JNTBGRI, Palode, Trivandrum. The focus of her thesis was structural characterization and heterologous production of beta-glucanases from Streptomyces species. She then secured the research associate fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, and started postdoctoral research at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Trivandrum, with Dr. R. Ajay Kumar. Currently, she is working as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.