Table 2 Characteristics of archaeal extremozymes and their applications.
From: Biotechnological applications of archaeal enzymes from extreme environments
Type | Characteristics of the enzymes | Enzymes | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
Acidophiles | Prevalence of acidic amino acids on the surface | Amylases, glucoamylases, xylanases, cellulases, proteases | Biofuel production, food, mining, starch processing, desulfurization of coal |
Alkaliphiles | Prevalence of basic amino acids on the surface, high pI values | Proteases, cellulases amylases | Detergents, food and feed, beer and paper industry |
Halophiles | Relatively large number of acidic amino acids on the surface, smaller hydrophobic amino acids and salt-dependent folding | Proteases, dehydrogenases | Peptide synthesis, biocatalysis in organic media |
Psychrophiles | Smaller number of disulfide bonds, hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. Decrease in hydrophobic property, lower thermal stability, increased flexibility and specific activity | Proteases, amylases, cellulases, lipases | Laundry, detergents, textiles |
Thermophiles | Increase in ionic interactions, increased hydrophobicity, packing, number of disulfide bonds, salt-bridging, surface charges, shortening of surface loop, stabilization of loops by interaction with metal ions, reduction in unstable amino acids at high temperatures | Proteases, lipases, glucoamylases, glucosidases, amylases, pullulanases, cellulases, xylanases, esterases, DNA polymerases, dehydrogenases | Detergents, food and feed, starch, cellulose, textiles, paper bleaching, molecular biology, oxidation reactions, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals |