In molecular biology, glycoside hydrolase family 52 is a family

Protein family

A protein family is a group of evolutionarily-related proteins, and is often nearly synonymous with gene family. The term protein family should not be confused with family as it is used in taxonomy....

 of glycoside hydrolases

Glycoside hydrolase

Glycoside hydrolases catalyze the hydrolysis of the glycosidic linkage to release smaller sugars...

.

Glycoside hydrolases  are a widespread group of enzymes that hydrolyse the glycosidic bond

Glycosidic bond

In chemistry, a glycosidic bond is a type of covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate molecule to another group, which may or may not be another carbohydrate....

 between two or more carbohydrates, or between a carbohydrate and a non-carbohydrate moiety. A classification system for glycoside hydrolases, based on sequence similarity, has led to the definition of >100 different families. This classification is available on the CAZy(http://www.cazy.org/GH1.html) web site, and also discussed at CAZypedia, an online encyclopedia of carbohydrate active enzymes.

Glycoside hydrolase family 52 CAZY GH_52 comprises enzymes with only one known activity; beta-xylosidase .

Proteins

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 harboring beta-xylosidase and xylanase

Xylanase

Xylanase is the name given to a class of enzymes which degrade the linear polysaccharide beta-1,4-xylan into xylose, thus breaking down hemicellulose, one of the major components of plant cell walls....

 activities have been identified in the Gram-positive, facultative thermophilic aerobe Bacillus stearothermophilus

Bacillus stearothermophilus

Bacillus stearothermophilus is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium and a member of the division Firmicutes. The bacteria is a thermophile and is widely distributed in soil, hot springs, ocean sediment, and is a cause of spoilage in food products. It will grow within a temperature range of 30-75...

21. This microbe, which functions in xylan

Xylan

Xylan is a generic term used to describe a wide variety of highly complex polysaccharides that are found in plant cell walls and some algae. Xylans are polysaccharides made from units of xylose ....

 degradation, can utilise xylan as a sole source of carbon

Carbon

Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...

. The enzyme hydrolyses 1,4-beta-D-xylans, removing successive D-xylose

Xylose

Xylose is a sugar first isolated from wood, and named for it. Xylose is classified as a monosaccharide of the aldopentose type, which means that it contains five carbon atoms and includes an aldehyde functional group. It is the precursor to hemicellulose, one of the main constituents of biomass...

 residue

Residue

Residue may refer to:* Residue , material remaining after a distillation or an evaporation, or portion of a larger molecule** In particular, in biology, often refers specifically to an amino acid...

s from the non-reducing termini. It also hydrolyses xylobiose.