Research summary
A 1991 Biochemical Journal paper compared the amino acid sequences of 301 glycosyl hydrolases and classified 291 sequences (corresponding to 39 EC entries) into 35 families, with 18 monospecific and 17 polyspecific families, establishing the sequence-similarity-based classification scheme that became the basis of the CAZy resource and discussing implications for folding, mechanism, and the evolution of carbohydrate metabolism [6]. The CAZy database itself, documented across three Nucleic Acids Research papers, provides online continuously updated sequence-based family classification of carbohydrate-active enzymes linking sequence to specificity and 3D structure; the 2008 paper describes 113 glycoside hydrolase, 91 glycosyltransferase, 19 polysaccharide lyase, 15 carbohydrate esterase, and 52 carbohydrate-binding-module families with over 6,400 proteins having EC numbers assigned [3], the 2013 update tracks the expansion of family classification to new families [2], and the 2021 paper examines the position of the database in the era of large-scale sequencing and high-throughput biology, emphasizing the three primary curation tasks of family maintenance, classification of new GenBank/PDB sequences, and functional information capture [7]. A 2007 Annual Review of Biochemistry article on glycosyltransferases identifies two structural folds (GT-A and GT-B) for nucleotide-sugar-dependent enzymes, with inverting glycosyltransferases using direct-displacement SN2-like mechanisms and leaving-group departure facilitated via coordinated divalent cations in GT-A folds versus positively charged side chains in GT-B folds [8]. The Populus trichocarpa genome paper reports the draft black cottonwood tree genome, identifying more than 45,000 putative protein-coding genes and a whole-genome duplication event with about 8,000 surviving duplicated gene pairs [4]. Co-authorship on the obese/lean twin gut microbiome study [1], the gut microbiota transplantation into germ-free mice [5], and the cross-mammalian diet-microbiome convergence study sampling 33 mammalian species and 18 humans [9] reflects sustained involvement in gut microbiome metagenomics through CAZy-driven functional annotation.
Recent publications
- A core gut microbiome in obese and lean twinsDOI
- The carbohydrate-active enzymes database (CAZy) in 2013DOI
- The Carbohydrate-Active EnZymes database (CAZy): an expert resource for GlycogenomicsDOI
- The Genome of Black Cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa (Torr. Gray)DOI
- Gut Microbiota from Twins Discordant for Obesity Modulate Metabolism in MiceDOI
- A classification of glycosyl hydrolases based on amino acid sequence similaritiesDOI
- A Dietary Fiber-Deprived Gut Microbiota Degrades the Colonic Mucus Barrier and Enhances Pathogen SusceptibilityDOI
- The carbohydrate-active enzyme database: functions and literatureDOI
- Glycosyltransferases: Structures, Functions, and MechanismsDOI
- Diet Drives Convergence in Gut Microbiome Functions Across Mammalian Phylogeny and Within HumansDOI
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External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3434-8588
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Kyoto University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.