Glycosyl hydrolase family 20 (GH20) catalytic domain of dispersin B (DspB), lacto-N-biosidase (LnbB) and related proteins. Dispersin B is a soluble beta-N-acetylglucosamidase found in bacteria that hydrolyzes the beta-1,6-linkages of PGA (poly-beta-(1,6)-N-acetylglucosamine), a major component of the extracellular polysaccharide matrix. Lacto-N-biosidase hydrolyzes lacto-N-biose (LNB) type I oligosaccharides at the nonreducing terminus to produce lacto-N-biose as part of the GNB/LNB (galacto-N-biose/lacto-N-biose I) degradation pathway. The lacto-N-biosidase from Bifidobacterium bifidum has this GH20 domain, a carbohydrate binding module 32, and a bacterial immunoglobulin-like domain 2, as well as a YSIRK signal peptide and a G5 membrane anchor at the N and C termini, respectively. The GH20 hexosaminidases are thought to act via a catalytic mechanism in which the catalytic nucleophile is not provided by solvent or the enzyme, but by the substrate itself.
The chitobiase of Serratia marcescens is a beta-N-1,4-acetylhexosaminidase with a glycosyl hydrolase family 20 (GH20) domain that hydrolyzes the beta-1,4-glycosidic linkages in oligomers derived from chitin. Chitin is degraded by a two step process: i) a chitinase hydrolyzes the chitin to oligosaccharides and disaccharides such as di-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and chitobiose, ii) chitobiase then further degrades these oligomers into monomers. This GH20 domain family includes an N-acetylglucosamidase (GlcNAcase A) from Pseudoalteromonas piscicida and an N-acetylhexosaminidase (SpHex) from Streptomyces plicatus. SpHex lacks the C-terminal PKD (polycystic kidney disease I)-like domain found in the chitobiases. The GH20 hexosaminidases are thought to act via a catalytic mechanism in which the catalytic nucleophile is not provided by solvent or the enzyme, but by the substrate itself.