DOE-funded researchers look at gene from insect gut microbe to break down cellulose

May 28, 2015 |

In California, in a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a team including researchers from the DOE JGI and the DOE-funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center characterized the structure and function of a GH55 protein – SacteLam55A. The gene SACTE_4363 encodes this protein and was isolated from the microbe SirexAA-E in the gut of the pinewood-boring wasp Sirex noctilio. The gene was found when the microbe was grown on cellobiose, xylan, and pretreated switchgrass samples, suggesting it has cellulolytic properties.

Category: Research

Thank you for visting the Digest.