Agarases

Enzymes, EC 3.2.1.81, produced often by marine bacteria, that hydrolyse the 1,3-beta-D-galactosidic linkages in agarose — typically releasing tetramers as the predominant product — and also act on porphyran. In nature they recycle seaweed debris on the ocean floor; in the laboratory they let researchers melt agarose gels gently to recover DNA, and the oligosaccharides they release show potential as prebiotic food ingredients. Agarases are precision tools for handling one of biology’s most familiar gels, cutting exactly the linkages that give agarose its gelling power.