ABSTRACT
Xylanases are a group of depolymerizing enzymes often used for the hydrolysis of xylan (present in hemicellulose) to monomeric sugars and comprise endo-xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) and β-xylosidases (EC 3.2.1.37). They often act in synergy with other enzymes for complete hydrolysis of hemicellulose. Xylanases find several industrial applications, for example in food and feed industries, paper and pulp industries and more recently have acquired a great role in biomass to biofuels program. Bacteria and fungi can best produce xylanases. Recent developments in rDNA technology have resulted in molecular cloning and expression of xylanases in heterologous and homologous hosts. In view of significance of the actinomycetes for the production of biotechnological products, attempts have been made in recent years to explore them for the production of industrial enzymes, including xylanses, aiming to find the enzyme with novel features. This review provides the state-of-art information and developments on the xylanases from actinomycetes, presenting the production, purification, characterization and over-expression from various actinomycetes cultures.