Thermostability Enhancement of GH 62 α-l-Arabinofuranosidase by Directed Evolution and Rational Design

GH 62 arabinofuranosidases are known for their excellent specificity for arabinoxylan of agroindustrial residues and their synergism with endoxylanases and other hemicellulases. However, the low thermostability of some GH enzymes hampers potential industrial applications. Protein engineering research highly desires mutations that can enhance thermostability. Therefore, we employed directed evolution using one round of error-prone PCR and site-saturation mutagenesis for thermostability enhancement of GH 62 arabinofuranosidase from Aspergillus fumigatus. Single mutants with enhanced thermostability showed significant ΔΔG changes (<−2.5 kcal/mol) and improvements in perplexity scores from evolutionary scale modeling inverse folding. The best mutant, G205K, increased the melting temperature by 5 °C and the energy of denaturation by 41.3%. We discussed the functional mechanisms for improved stability. Analyzing the adjustments in α-helices, β-sheets, and loops resulting from point mutations, we have obtained significant knowledge regarding the potential impacts on protein stability, folding, and overall structural integrity.