GH Family 11 Xylanase Variants Enhancing Thermal Stability

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current GH Family 11 xylanases lack optimal thermal activity and thermostability, which limits their effectiveness in industrial applications such as enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan-containing materials.

Innovation Solution

Development of xylanase variants with specific amino acid substitutions, particularly T120S, that enhance thermal activity and thermostability, allowing for improved performance at high temperatures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If GH Family 11 xylanases are used for enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan-containing materials, then xylan degradation to xylose and xylo-oligomers is achieved, but the enzymes lack optimal thermal activity and thermostability which limits their effectiveness in industrial applications

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovethermostabilityVSAvoidenzymatic hydrolysis efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by introducing specific amino acid substitutions (T120S, Q162H, F180Y, and combinations thereof) into the GH Family 11 xylanase sequence to modify the enzyme's thermal properties. These substitutions change the physical and chemical parameters of the enzyme structure, resulting in variants with improved thermostability and thermal activity while maintaining catalytic function for xylan degradation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by making targeted amino acid substitutions at specific positions (120, 162, and 180) within the xylanase sequence. Rather than modifying the entire enzyme uniformly, the invention focuses on localized changes at key residues that critically affect thermal stability, allowing the rest of the enzyme structure to maintain its optimal catalytic configuration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If amino acid substitutions are introduced to improve thermostability, then thermal activity and stability are enhanced, but the enzyme sequence diverges from the parent sequence

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal activityVSAvoidsequence identity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent systematically changes the amino acid sequence parameters at specific positions to achieve improved thermal activity. The substitutions T120S, Q162H, and F180Y represent controlled parameter changes that enhance thermostability while maintaining the enzyme's fundamental structure and function, resolving the contradiction between sequence conservation and performance optimization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The variants exhibit improved thermal activity and thermostability, enabling more efficient degradation of xylan-containing materials and extending their usability in various industrial processes.

Implementation Method 1

Xylan can be degraded to xylose and xylo-oligomers by acid or enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan produces free sugars without the by-products formed with acid

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEnzymatic hydrolysis: Hydrolysis

Data Source

PatentEP3149028B1Variants of GH family 11 xylanase and polynucleotides encoding same
Publication Date: 2021.09.15 NOVOZYMES AS
  • EP3149028B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3149028B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3149028B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to GH Family 11 xylanase variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.