Extremophilic Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes in Environmental Microbiomes: Diversity, Adaptation, and Biotechnological Promise

Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) represent a highly diverse and functionally crucial group of biomolecules that are central to the metabolic networks of environmental microbiomes, where they catalyze the formation, modification, and degradation of glycosidic bonds. Within extreme environments—such as hypersaline lakes, geothermal hot springs, acidic mines, and alkaline habitats—microbial communities have evolved specialized CAZymes that exhibit exceptional stability, activity, and resilience under inhospitable conditions. Recent years have seen rapid advances in sequence-based metagenomic discovery, environmental sampling, and protein engineering, revealing an expanding catalogue of extremophilic CAZymes with novel mechanisms and adaptive traits. However, key questions remain regarding the ecological roles, evolutionary pathways, and community-level dynamics shaping the diversity and function of these enzymes within their native microbiomes. Current research provides crucial insights into sequence diversity and enzyme mechanism, yet the broader environmental significance and untapped application potential of extremophilic CAZymes are only beginning to emerge.This Research Topic aims to consolidate a comprehensive perspective on extremophilic CAZymes as they exist and interact within environmental microbiomes. The goal is to elucidate how these enzymes contribute to microbial community structure, ecosystem processes, and environmental adaptation, while also exploring avenues for their application in sustainable biotechnology. We invite research that bridges foundational ecological and physiological knowledge with innovative approaches to enzyme discovery, functional characterization, and translational development. By integrating insights from environmental microbiology, molecular ecology, and biotechnological engineering, this Research Topic seeks to uncover new solutions for global challenges in bioremediation, green chemistry, resource recycling, and beyond.This Research Topic focuses specifically on CAZymes originating from extremophilic microorganisms and their environmental microbiomes, excluding mesophilic CAZymes unless they are directly relevant to extremophile traits or comparative efforts. To gather further insights in this area, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Metagenomics and sequence discovery of extremophilic CAZymes in environmental samples- Physiological and ecological functions of CAZymes within extreme microbial ecosystems- Roles of CAZymes in microbe-microbe and microbe-environment interactions in extreme settings- Novel CAZymes derived from halophytic plants and their associated microbiomes- Biochemical and structural characterization of extremophilic CAZymes- Protein engineering, adaptation, and directed evolution for environmental and industrial utility- Engineering of mesophilic enzymes to emulate extremophilic properties- Environmental and biotechnological applications of CAZymes: from bioremediation to sustainable production- Future trends and unresolved questions in the study of environmental and extremophilic CAZymesThis Research Topic accepts the following article types: Brief Research Report, Case Report, Classification, Clinical Trial, Editorial, FAIR Data, FAIR Data Direct Submission, General Commentary, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Review, Systematic Review, and Technology and Code. Topic editors: Onur Kırtel, Ebru Toksoy Oner, Dr. HIREN K. PATEL Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79340/extremophilic-carbohydrate-active-enzymes-in-environmental-microbiomes-diversity-adaptation-and-biotechnological-promise