Understanding simultaneous lignin depolymerization and catabolism in white-rot fungi
EMSL Project ID
51899
Abstract
Lignin is a heterogeneous aromatic polymer found in the cell walls of terrestrial plants and accounts for 30% of the organic carbon in the biosphere. White-rot fungi (WRF) are unquestionably the most efficient lignin-degrading organisms in Nature, and are thus responsible for a substantial amount of carbon turnover on Earth. While lignin depolymerization by WRF has been studied for decades and is very well accepted, the ability of WRF to catabolize lignin-derived aromatic compounds as a carbon source has been just recently demonstrated. These findings warrant further examination of WRF performance in modeled environmental conditions to better understand regulatory processes for both lignin degradation and catabolism. EMSL's advanced multi-omics capabilities (metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics) are key to better understand this regulation but also to continue elucidating extracellular and intracellular lignin catabolic pathways in white-rot fungi. This information is valuable to better understand global carbon cycling in soil ecosystems and to ultimately develop more efficient hosts to convert polymeric lignin into high-value products.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2021-10-01
End Date
2023-11-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members