Plant-Based Cellulase Assay Systems as Alternatives for Synthetic Substrates
- PDF / 526,274 Bytes
- 13 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 4 Downloads / 176 Views
Plant-Based Cellulase Assay Systems as Alternatives for Synthetic Substrates Kathleen Hefferon 1 & Borja Cantero-Tubilla 2 & Uzma Badar
3
& David W. Wilson
1
Received: 15 April 2020 / Accepted: 16 July 2020/ # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract
Dissociative enzymes such as cellulases are greatly desired for a variety of applications in the food, fuel, and fiber industries. Cellulases and other cell wall–degrading enzymes are currently being engineered with improved traits for application in the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass. Biochemical assays using these “designer” enzymes have traditionally been carried out using synthetic substrates such as crystalline bacterial microcellulose (BMCC). However, the use of synthetic substrates may not reflect the actual action of these cellulases on real plant biomass. We examined the potential of suspension cell walls from several plant species as possible alternatives for synthetic cellulose substrates. Suspension cells grow synchronously; hence, their cell walls are more uniform than those derived from mature plants. This work will help to establish a new assay system that is more genuine than using synthetic substrates. In addition to this, we have demonstrated that it is feasible to produce cellulases inexpensively and at high concentrations and activities in plants using a recombinant plant virus expression system. Our long-term goals are to use this system to develop tailored cocktails of cellulases that have been engineered to function optimally for specific tasks (i.e., the conversion of biomass into biofuel or the enhancement of nutrients available in livestock feed). The broad impact would be to provide a facile and economic system for generating industrial enzymes that offer green solutions to valorize biomass in industrialized communities and specifically in developing countries. Keywords Cellulase . Biomass . Plants . Cell wall
* Kathleen Hefferon [email protected]
1
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
2
Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
3
Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Introduction Microbial cellulases are cell wall–degrading enzymes which break down cellulose found in lignocellulosic biomass. These environmentally friendly and sustainable enzymes play an increasingly important role in the energy industry (biofuel production), agricultural industry (improving the nutritional accessibility of forage crops for livestock), in the textile industry (green substitutes to chemical treatments for plant-based fabrics), and in the food processing industry (improving the quality of baked products or the clarification of juices). In the pharmaceutical industry, cellulases assist in the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant-based sources. Cellulases can also aid in the biorefining of valuable products from f
Data Loading...
