A Novel Auxiliary Agarolytic Pathway Expands Metabolic Versatility in the Agar-Degrading Marine Bacterium Colwellia Echini A3 T

Colwellia echini A3 T is an example of how the gain of gene(s) can lead to the evolutionary expansion of agar-specific polysaccharide utilization loci (PUL). C. echini A3 T encodes two α-agarases in addition to the core β-agarolytic enzymes in its agarolytic PUL. Among the agar-degrading CAZymes identified so far, only a few α-agarases have been biochemically characterized.