This family contains several bacterial alginate lyase proteins. Alginate is a family of 1-4-linked copolymers of beta -D-mannuronic acid (M) and alpha -L-guluronic acid (G). It is produced by brown algae and by some bacteria belonging to the genera Azotobacter and Pseudomonas. Alginate lyases catalyse the depolymerisation of alginates by beta -elimination, generating a molecule containing 4-deoxy-L-erythro-hex-4-enepyranosyluronate at the nonreducing end [1].
Yoon HJ, Hashimoto W, Miyake O, Murata K, Mikami B.
Crystal structure of alginate lyase A1-III complexed with trisaccharide product at 2.0 A resolution.
J. Mol. Biol. 307 2001 9-16
[PubMed: 11243798] http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jmbi.2000.4509