Abstract

Amidohydrolases have long been known as a class of hydrolases that catalyze the hydrolysis of amide or ester functional groups in a broad range of substrates. They typically adopt the (β/α)8-barrel structural folds, with metal cofactors in the active site, facilitating diverse hydrolytic and nonhydrolytic reactions. So far, the amidohydrolase superfamily has grown into one of the largest enzyme families with tens of thousands of members. The identification and application of amidohydrolases in the biodegradation of environmental pollutants, such as pesticides, have been extensively reported. In these cases, this article aims to present a systematic review of its classification, structure, and hydrolytic activities. The review describes the critical roles of amidohydrolases in the biodegradation of pesticides, such as amide herbicides. It further highlights the microbial metagenome could serve as an important source of novel amidohydrolases. Several major challenges of amidohydrolases during the identification and application processes are also discussed.

Keywords: Amidohydrolase, structure, activity, pesticide, biodegradation, challenge.