Comparative metaproteomics and metametabolomics of the biomass-degrading microbial community that inhabits the cow rumen
EMSL Project ID
47483
Abstract
Lignocellulosic plant material is one of the most promising sources of sustainable liquid transportation fuels but the recalcitrant nature of the plant cell wall and the cost of biomass-degrading enzymes remains a major hurdle to economical lignocellulose-based biofuels processes. To overcome the hurdle of recalcitrance and to identify enzymes with better properties for degrading plant biomass and to enhance our understanding of the microbial community in the cow rumen - one of the most efficient biomass-degrading ecosystems on Earth - we propose to perform a comparative analysis of the metaproteome and metametabolome that is associated with the heterogeneous cow rumen microbiome (the microbial community) adherent to three different real-world biofuel crops (i.e. micanthus, corn stover and switchgrass) after they have been incubated in the rumen for three days. The project proposed here aligns with the Department of Energy mission goal to secure the Nation's leadership in clean energy technologies, as it will i) enhance the knowledge base regarding a biological system that is highly efficient in biomass degradation and ii) allow us to establish a comprehensive catalogue of urgently needed enzymes for the industrial production of sustainable transportation fuels from cellulosic biomass.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2012-10-01
End Date
2014-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members
Related Publications
Piao H, LM Markillie, DE Culley, RI Mackie, and M Hess. 2013. "Improved Method for Isolation of Microbial RNA from Biofuel Feedstock for Metatranscriptomics." Advances in Microbiology 3(1):101-107. doi:10.4236/aim.2013.31016
Solden L., D.W. Hoyt, W.B. Collins, J.E. Plank, R. Daly, E. Hildebrand, and T.J. Beavers, et al. 2017. "New roles in hemicellulosic sugar fermentation for the uncultivated Bacteroidetes family BS11." The ISME Journal 11, no. 3:691-703. PNNL-SA-115562. doi:10.1038/ismej.2016.150