Development of a Multienzyme Complex for Efficient Agarose Hydrolysis: Leveraging Agarolytic Enzymes and the Catcher-Tag Technology

Red algae, a type of marine biomass, have garnered attention due to their significant economic potential. Agarose, the gelling component of agar, is composed of d-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-l-galactose. In this study, an enzyme-based multienzyme complex was designed to convert agarose into monosaccharides. Briefly, endo-type β-agarase and neoagarobiose hydrolase were employed, and the multienzyme complex was assembled using Catcher-Tag interactions, which facilitated efficient multienzymatic cascade reactions. Exo-type β-agarase was incorporated during the enzymatic process to enhance activity. Based on the DNS assay, a 1.78-fold increase in degradation efficiency was obtained compared to that with individual enzymes. Overall, this study proposes a promising eco-friendly and efficient enzymatic approach for producing high-value monosaccharides from red algae.