Ulvan, a kind of polyanionic heteropolysaccharide consisting of 3-sulfated rhamnose, uronic acids (iduronic acid and glucuronic acid) and xylose, has been widely applied in food and cosmetic industries. In addition, ulvan can be converted into fermentable monosaccharides through the cascade system of carbohydrate-active enzymes. Ulvan lyases can degrade ulvan into ulvan oligosaccharides, which is the first step in the fully degradation of ulvan. Various ulvan lyases have been cloned and characterized from marine bacteria and grouped into five polysaccharide lyase (PL) families, namely: PL24, PL25, PL28, PL37 and PL40 families. The elucidation of the biochemical characterization, action pattern and catalytic mechanism of ulvan lyase would definitely enhance our understanding of the deep utilization of marine bioresource and marine carbon cycling. In this review, we summarized the recent progresses about the source and biochemical characteristics of ulvan lyase. Additionally, the structural characteristics and catalytic mechanisms have been introduced in detail. This comprehensive information should be helpful regarding the application of ulvan lyases.
Keywords: Ulvan lyase; biochemical characteristics; catalytic mechanism; structure.