beta-Glucanases have been utilized widely in industry to treat various carbohydrate-containing materials. Recently, the Podospora anserina beta-glucanase 131A (PaGluc131A) was identified and classified to a new glycoside hydrolases GH131 family. It shows exo-beta-1,3/exo-beta-1,6 and endo-beta-1,4 glucanase activities with a broad substrate specificity for laminarin, curdlan, pachyman, lichenan, pustulan, and cellulosic derivatives. Here we report the crystal structures of the PaGluc131A catalytic domain with or without ligand (cellotriose) at 1.8 angstrom resolution. The cellotriose was clearly observed to occupy the +1 to +3 subsites in substrate binding cleft. The broadened substrate binding groove may explain the diverse substrate specificity. Based on our crystal structures, the GH131 family enzyme is likely to carry out the hydrolysis through an inverting catalytic mechanism, in which E99 and E139 are supposed to serve as the general base and general acid. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.