Carbohydrate-processing phosphorolytic enzymes

Phosphorolytic enzymes that act on carbohydrates are interesting enzymes not only in terms of their basic properties but also in regard to their various applications. However, they have not been studied in as much detail as other types of enzymes such as the hydrolases and the synthases. Phosphorolytic enzymes have attracted attention because of their application in the synthesis of carbohydrate chains, exploiting their strict regio-specificities. In addition, a number of now phosphorolytic enzymes have been discovered recently. In this review, the characteristics and applications of the phosphorolytic enzymes are described in an overview of the current research that has been performed on this interesting class of enzymes.