Biological Sciences Division
Research Highlights

June 2017

Unlocking the Potential of Fungal Enzymes to Break Down Plant Cell Walls

Biomass-degrading enzyme complexes could improve biofuel production

Lignocellulose-degrading enzymes in fungal cellulosomes have great potential for biomass conversion.

A major bottleneck in biofuel production is the difficulty of breaking down lignocellulose-the primary building block of plant cell walls. A recent study suggests that unlike bacterial enzyme complexes for breaking down lignocellulose, fungal enzyme complexes have a more diverse functionality.

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