Lignocellulolytic and Chitinolytic Glycoside Hydrolases: Structure, Catalytic Mechanism, Directed Evolution and Industrial Implementation

Lignocellulolytic and chitinolytic glycoside hydrolases are commonly used enzymes in commercial processes and thus are well documented for their vital role in agriculture, textile, paper, food, biofuel and healthcare sectors. Ongoing research is targeted to further enhance the applicability of these vital enzymes in the above mentioned sectors. In this regard, an up-to-date knowledge of enzymatic structure, catalytic mechanism and several modern approaches like recombinant technology, chemical and enzymatic pre-treatment, enzyme immobilization and directed evolution for the improvement of enzymes production, activity and stability is highly required. This review provides an up-to-date information and discussion on the various lignocellulolytic and chitinolytic glycoside hydrolases regarding the vital aspects of the enzymes viz. catalytic mechanism, structural features, directed evolution approaches, current applications and under research potential applications.