Processivity and substrate-binding in family 18 chitinases

Enzymatic depolymerisation of polysaccharides is a key technology in the biorefining of biomass. The enzymatic conversion of the abundant insoluble polysaccharides cellulose and chitin is of particular interest and complexity, because of the biphasic nature of the process, the seemingly complicated tasks faced by the enzymes, and the importance of these conversions for the future biorefinery. Here we review recent work on family 18 chitinases that sheds light on important aspects of the catalytic action of these depolymerising enzymes, including the structural basis of processivity and its direction, the energies involved in substrate-binding and displacement.