Ito Susumu
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa, Japan.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2009 Oct;84(6):1053-60. doi: 10.1007/s00253-009-2179-1. Epub 2009 Aug 21.
Sugar (carbohydrate) epimerases catalyze the reversible conversion of a sugar epimer into its counterpart form. More than 20 types of sugar epimerase have been reported to date, and their biological properties, catalytic mechanisms, and 3D structures are very diverse among them. Recently, microbial sugar epimerases have been characterized in detail. This review surveys the catalytic aspects of microbial epimerases, which are relevant for production of bioactive mono- and oligosaccharides.
糖类（碳水化合物）差向异构酶催化糖类差向异构体可逆地转化为其对应形式。迄今为止，已报道了20多种糖类差向异构酶，它们的生物学特性、催化机制和三维结构差异很大。最近，对微生物糖类差向异构酶进行了详细的表征。本综述概述了微生物差向异构酶的催化方面，这些方面与生物活性单糖和寡糖的生产相关。
