Combining substrate specificity analysis with support vector classifiers reveals feruloyl esterase as a phylogenetically informative protein group.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Our understanding of how fungi evolved to develop a variety of ecological niches, is limited but of fundamental biological importance. Specifically, the evolution of enzymes affects how well species can adapt to new environmental conditions. Feruloyl esterases (FAEs) are enzymes able to hydrolyze the ester bonds linking ferulic acid to plant cell wall polysaccharides. The diversity of substrate specificities found in the FAE family shows that this family is old enough to have experienced the emergence and loss of many activities.

Methodology/principal findings

In this study we evaluate the relative activity of FAEs against a variety of model substrates as a novel predictive tool for Ascomycota taxonomic classification. Our approach consists of two analytical steps

SUBMITTER: Olivares-Hernandez R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2943907 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature