Glycosyl hydrolase family 7 contains eukaryotic endoglucanases (EGs) and cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) that hydrolyze glycosidic bonds using a double-displacement mechanism. This leads to a net retention of the conformation at the anomeric carbon. Both enzymes work synergistically in the degradation of cellulose,which is the main component of plant cell wall, and is composed of beta-1,4 linked glycosyl units. EG cleaves the beta-1,4 linkages of cellulose and CBH cleaves off cellobiose disaccharide units from the reducing end of the chain. In general, the O-glycosyl hydrolases are a widespread group of enzymes that hydrolyze the glycosidic bond between two or more carbohydrates, or between a carbohydrate and a non-carbohydrate moiety. A glycosyl hydrolase classification system based on sequence similarity has led to the definition of more than 95 different families inlcuding glycoside hydrolase family 7.
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