PNNL

Abstract

The concept of expressing non-plant glycosyl hydrolase genes in plant tissue is less than two decades old, and yet little work in this field has been reported. However, the resurgent interest in technologies aimed at enabling biomass to sugars/fuels processes have again pointed to this intuitive solution. Research challenges in this regard include developing better and more specifically targeted delivery systems for hydrolytic genes, achieving successful folding and post-translational modification of heterologous proteins, and developing cost effective process strategies utilizing these transformed plants. Integration of these concepts, from the improvement of biomass production and conversion characteristics to heterologous production of glycosyl hydrolases in a high yielding bioenergy crop, holds considerable promise for improving the lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol/fuels process.