Researchers target anti-fungi-bacteria system to unlock secrets of cellulosic conversion to sugars

In Wisconsin, researchers from the University of Wisconsin, the Joint Genome Institute and Emory University are sequencing the genomes of 17 different ants, fungi and bacteria- the goal, says an article at Discovery.com, could be new opportunities for biofuels in understanding the “community genome,” a 50 million-year-old bioreactor that permits leafcutting organisms to consume nearly a half ton of leaf litter per year.

The ants cut the leaves and feed them to fungi, which generate enzymes for conversion, the enzymes produce sugars for the ant colony food needs.

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