Acetylxylan esterase involved in the hydrolysis of xylan, a major structural heterogeneous polysaccharide found in plant biomass representing the second most abundant polysaccharide in the biosphere, after cellulose. Degrades acetylated xylans by cleaving acetyl side groups from the hetero-xylan backbone (By similarity). Deacetylation of xylans and xylo-oligosaccharides. Glycan degradation; xylan degradation. Monomer. Has a modular structure: a carbohydrate esterase catalytic module at the N-terminus, a linker rich in serines and threonines, and a C-terminal carbohydrate-binding module (CBM). The genes for catalytic modules and CBMs seem to have evolved separately and have been linked by gene fusion. Belongs to the carbohydrate esterase 1 (CE1) family. AxeA subfamily.