InterPro domain: IPR011839

Members of this protein family include secreted (or membrane-anchored) pullulanases of Gram-negative bacteria and pullulanase-type starch debranching enzymes of plants. Both enzymes hydrolyze alpha-1,6 glycosidic linkages. Pullulan is an unusual, industrially important polysaccharide in which short alpha-1,4 chains (maltotriose) are connected in alpha-1,6 linkages. Enzymes that cleave alpha-1,6 linkages in pullulan and release maltotriose are called pullulanases although pullulan itself may not be the natural substrate. This family is closely homologous to, but architecturally different from the pullulanases of Gram-positive bacteria ( IPR011838 ).