Knowledge of chitinolytic enzymes from basidiomycetes is important because these enzymes are likely to play roles on the autolysis of cell-wall chitin, which may result in morphological changes and affect the product quality of fruiting bodies (Kamada et al.
1982; Kües
2000; Mitchell and Sabar
1966; Sakamoto et al.
2009; Sone and Misaki
1978). Nevertheless, little is known about chitinolytic enzymes from basidiomycetes. In this study, we purified a protein with β-
N-acetylhexosaminidase activity from fresh
L. edodes fruiting bodies, and the analysis of its primary structure showed that the enzyme belongs to GH20. Therefore, we named the protein LeHex20A. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a gene encoding a GH20 β-
N-acetylhexosaminidase from basidiomycetes.
GH20 enzymes are retaining GHs and have catalytic domains with a (β/α)
8 (TIM barrel) fold (Tews et al.
1996). The enzymes carry out substrate-assisted catalysis, in which a glutamate (Glu303 in LeHex20A; Figure

) acts as the catalytic acid/base and the acetamido group of the sugar bound at the -1 subsite acts as a nucleophile (Drouillard et al.
1997; Jones and Kosman
1980). A conserved Asp adjacent to the catalytic acid (Asp302 in LeHex20A) is crucial for activating the acetamido group (Williams et al.
2002). While this catalytic dyad is conserved in LeHex20A, the consensus H-x-G-G motif, preceding the catalytic residue of representative GH20 members from bacteria, plant, insects, mammals, and ascomycetes, is not conserved in LeHex20A (Intra et al.
2008; Mayer et al.
2006). In LeHex20A and other basidiomycetes including
S. lacrymans, C. cinerea, P. placenta, F. pinicola, H. annosum, A. bisporus and
P. ostreatus, this motif has the sequence S-x-G-G, a sequence that seems unique for basidiomycete GH20 enzymes.
Most of the GH20 β-
N-acetylhexosaminidases have the highest catalytic efficiency for GlcNAc
2 among natural substrates, and do not hydrolyze long-chain chitomaterials (Keyhani and Roseman
1996; Koga et al.
1996; Ueda and Arai
1992; Yang et al.
2008). However, the catalytic efficiency of LeHex20A for GlcNAc
6 was greater than for GlcNAc
2, due to its high affinity for GlcNAc
6. Moreover, the enzyme partially hydrolyzed two kinds of amorphous chitin polymers, resulting in production of GlcNAc. There are few reports about degradation of chitin polymers by β-
N-acetylhexosaminidases (Suginta et al.
2010). Indeed, only six β-
N-acetylhexosaminidases (EC 3.2.1.52) that are able to degrade chitin polymer are listed in the BRENDA database (
http://www.brenda-enzymes.info/index.php4). Thus, LeHex20A showed unique enzymatic properties with respect to typical GH20 β-
N-acetylhexosaminidases. Because β-
N-acetylhexosaminidases hydrolyze nonreducing terminal monosaccharide residues of substrates, binding between the subsite (-1) of the enzymes and the nonreducing terminal β-
N-acetylhexosaminides of substrates seems to be essential for the catalysis. Suginta et al. (
2010) reported that GH20 β-
N-acetylhexosaminidases from the bacterium
Vibrio harveyi show hydrolytic activity toward colloidal chitin, and suggested that the enzyme has a binding pocket containing four GlcNAc binding subsites. Therefore, LeHex20A might have other GlcNAc binding subsites, as suggested for this protein by Suginta et al.
As described in this report, LeHex20A can produce GlcNAc from longer-chain chitomaterials compared with typical β-N-acetylhexosaminidases. Moreover, the L. edodes fruiting body, the shiitake mushroom, is a very popular edible cultivated mushroom. Therefore, LeHex20A may be valuable for efficient and safe enzymatic production of GlcNAc from native chitin materials.