英國(guó)研究人員報(bào)告說(shuō),，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)一種細(xì)菌具有分解木頭和其他植物中木質(zhì)素的能力,，這有助于利用樹(shù)木枝干和農(nóng)作物收獲后剩下的莖稈來(lái)提煉生物燃料。
樹(shù)木枝干和許多植物的莖稈通常含大量難以分解的木質(zhì)素,，因此利用它們來(lái)提煉生物燃料的效率要大打折扣,。
英國(guó)沃里克大學(xué)等機(jī)構(gòu)研究人員在新一期《生物化學(xué)》（Biochemistry）上報(bào)告說(shuō)，一種紅球菌或許能幫助解決這一問(wèn)題,，因?yàn)樗芊置谝环N具有分解木質(zhì)素能力的酶,。
研究人員說(shuō)，以前曾發(fā)現(xiàn)某些真菌也能分泌類似的酶,，但本次研究首次發(fā)現(xiàn)有細(xì)菌能分泌這種酶,。細(xì)菌比較容易培養(yǎng)，并且這種紅球菌的基因組早已完成測(cè)序,，可以較方便地使用基因手段來(lái)改變這種細(xì)菌,，從而利用它大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)分解木質(zhì)素的酶。
研究負(fù)責(zé)人蒂莫西·布格教授說(shuō),，現(xiàn)在發(fā)展生物燃料的一個(gè)方向就是不與糧食生產(chǎn)沖突,，而是利用廢棄的莖稈等提煉生物燃料，這項(xiàng)研究成果可望用來(lái)在工業(yè)化程度上大規(guī)模分解木質(zhì)素,，非常有助于生物燃料的發(fā)展,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
American Chemical Society DOI: 10.1021/bi101892z
Identification of DypB from Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 as a Lignin Peroxidase
Mark Ahmad, Joseph N. Roberts, Elizabeth M. Hardiman, Rahul Singh, Lindsay D. Eltis, and Timothy D. H. Bugg
Rhodococcus jostii RHA1, a polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading soil bacterium whose genome has been sequenced, shows lignin degrading activity in two recently developed spectrophotometric assays. Bioinformatic analysis reveals two unannotated peroxidase genes present in the genome of R. jostii RHA1 with sequence similarity to open reading frames in other lignin-degrading microbes. They are members of the Dyp peroxidase family and were annotated as DypA and DypB, on the basis of bioinformatic analysis. Assay of gene deletion mutants using a colorimetric lignin degradation assay reveals that a ΔdypB mutant shows greatly reduced lignin degradation activity, consistent with a role in lignin breakdown. Recombinant DypB protein shows activity in the colorimetric assay and shows Michaelis–Menten kinetic behavior using Kraft lignin as a substrate. DypB is activated by Mn2+ by 5–23-fold using a range of assay substrates, and breakdown of wheat straw lignocellulose by recombinant DypB is observed over 24–48 h in the...
