Turning fungus into fuel(reputation as producer of massive quanti...)

Date:5/4/2008

reputation as producer of massive quantities of degrading enzymes, however we were surprised by how few enzyme types it produces, which suggested to us that its protein secretion system is exceptionally efficient, said Los Alamos bioscientist Diego Martinez (also at the University of New Mexico), the studys lead author. The researchers believe that T. reeseis genome includes clusters of enzyme-producing genes, a strategy that may account for the organisms efficiency at breaking down cellulose.

On an industrial scale, T. reesei could be employed to secrete enzymes that can be purified and added into an aqueous mixture of cellulose pulp and other materials to produce sugar. The sugar can then be fermented by yeast to produce ethanol.

The sequencing of the Trichoderma reesei genome is a major step towards using renewable feedstocks for the production of fuels and chemicals, said Joel Cherry, director of research activities in second-generation biofuels for Novozymes, a collaborating institution in the study. The information contained in its genome will allow us to better understand how this organism degrades cellulose so efficiently and to understand how it produces the required enzymes so prodigiously. Using this information, it may be possible to improve both of these properties, decreasing the cost of converting cellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals.

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Contact: James E. Rickman jamesr@lanl.gov 505-665-9203 DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory Source:Eurekalert

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