M.U.K. Anjung, H. Nursyam, A.A. Prihanto, E. Chasanah
Alginate lyases are a class of enzymes capable of cleaving alginate, a major structural polysaccharide presents in the cell walls of brown algae. In recent years, marine bacteria have emerged as a valuable and diverse source of these enzymes, owing to their unique adaptations to extreme marine conditions such as high salinity, variable potential of hydrogen, and fluctuating temperatures. Marine-derived alginate lyases exhibit outstanding enzymatic traits, including their ability to withstand salt, maintain thermal stability, exhibit substrate specificity, and employ various catalytic mechanisms, making them highly desirable for a variety of various industrial applications. The primary function of these enzymes lies in depolymerizing alginate into alginate oligosaccharides, which possess notable biological activities. The potential of alginate oligosaccharides is significant across diverse industries, such as pharmaceuticals (for instance, antitumor and immunomodulatory uses), agriculture (like plant biostimulants), food (serving as prebiotics), wastewater treatment, and the production of bioenergy. These applications are further enhanced by the enzymes’ compatibility with green processing technologies and sustainable resource utilization. This study provides a comprehensive overview of marine alginate lyases, focusing on their enzymatic properties, catalytic mechanisms, and industrial relevance. It also highlights future directions for their development and application. Advancements in molecular biology, protein engineering, and synthetic biology have accelerated the identification and development of novel alginate lyases, expanding the repertoire of polysaccharide lyase families. Furthermore, in-depth understanding of their β-elimination catalytic mechanisms—whether via histidine/tyrosine-based or metal ion-assisted pathways—has enabled enzyme engineering for improved performance under industrial conditions. Although significant advancements have been made, obstacles still exist in attaining efficient large-scale production, improving enzyme stability, and optimizing catalytic characteristics. This review discusses the enzymatic features, catalytic mechanisms, and emerging applications of alginate lyases from marine bacteria, while exploring future perspectives including biofilm degradation, wastewater treatment, and biodegradable materials. The strategic development of alginate lyases may play a vital role in advancing sustainable biotechnologies and circular bioeconomy. The study aimed to deliver a thorough introduction to the recent progress in discovering and characterizing alginate lyases sourced from marine bacteria. © 2025 The author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Doctoral Program in Fisheries Science and Marine, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya East Java, Indonesia; Department of Fishery Product Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Brawijaya University, JL. Veteran, East Java, Malang, 65415, Indonesia
