Bacterial glycoside hydrolase and sugar transporter (GHs)

Bacterial glycoside hydrolases are a diverse set of hydrolytic enzymes produced by gut microbiota that cleave glycosidic bonds in complex carbohydrates, facilitating their breakdown into absorbable monosaccharides and oligosaccharides[1][2][3][5]. These enzymes belong to multiple families (over 167 classified), including specific types that target host mucin, dietary fiber, and prebiotic oligosaccharides. Sugar transporters are membrane proteins that mediate the uptake of the resultant simple sugars into bacterial cells for metabolic utilization; both classes play fundamental roles in nutrient processing, microbiome structure, and downstream effects on host metabolism, immune responses, and drug biotransformation[1][2][4][6]. Gut bacterial glycoside hydrolases and sugar transporters are being explored as therapeutic targets for modulating the microbiome, treating metabolic disorders, preventing drug degradation, and managing inflammatory diseases through targeted enzyme inhibition and microbiome engineering strategies[4][6]. However, due to their diversity and functional redundancy across species, they are better considered as target classes rather than single molecules.

Other names

glycosidasesglycoside hydrolase family [number]bacterial carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes)bacterial sugar transporters

Inhibitors block enzymatic cleavage of glycosidic bonds in carbohydrate substrates Modulation of substrate access and transport through blocking transporter uptake