Glycosidases

Patent Pending Glycoside hydrolases (also called glycosidases or glycosyl hydrolases) assist in the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds in complex sugars.[citation needed] They are extremely common enzymes with roles in nature including degradation of biomass such as cellulose and hemicellulose, in anti-bacterial defense strategies (e.g., lysozyme), in pathogenesis mechanisms (e.g., viral neuraminidases) and in normal cellular function (e.g., trimming mannosidases involved in N-linked glycoprotein biosynthesis).