Biofilms are microbial communities that are embedded in the extracellular matrix. The exopolysaccharide (EPS) is a key component of the biofilm matrix that maintains the structure of the biofilm and protects the bacteria from antimicrobials. Microbial glycoside hydrolases have been exploited to disrupt biofilms by breaking down EPSs. PssZ has recently been identified as a glycoside hydrolase that can disperse aggregates of Listeria monocytogenes. In this study, the crystal structure of PssZ has been determined at 1.6 Å resolution. PssZ belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 8 and adopts a classical (α/α)₆‐barrel fold. This architecture forms a deep groove which may serve as the substrate‐binding pocket. The conserved catalytic residues (Glu72, Trp110, Asn119, Phe167, Tyr183 and Asp232) are localized at the centre of the groove. This crystal structure will help to improve the understanding of the hydrolytic mechanism of PssZ and its application as a biofilm disrupter.

中文翻译：

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单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌糖苷水解酶PssZ的晶体结构。

生物膜是嵌入细胞外基质中的微生物群落。胞外多糖（EPS）是生物膜基质的关键成分，可以维持生物膜的结构并保护细菌免受抗菌素的侵害。微生物糖苷水解酶已被用来通过破坏EPS破坏生物膜。PssZ最近被鉴定为可分散单核细胞增生李斯特菌聚集体的糖苷水解酶。在这项研究中，已确定PssZ的晶体结构为1.6Å分辨率。PssZ属于糖苷水解酶家族8，采用经典（α/α）₆桶折。这种结构形成了一个深沟，可以用作底材装订袋。保守的催化残基（Glu72，Trp110，Asn119，Phe167，Tyr183和Asp232）位于凹槽的中心。这种晶体结构将有助于增进对PssZ水解机理及其作为生物膜破坏剂的应用的了解。