A remarkable new revolution in biochemistry has taken hold. As was recently reported by UC Berkeley and LBNL researchers, we have found a natural cellulose cleaving enzyme, CelOCE, that performs this step efficiently. Researchers found this enzyme in a microbial consortia—engineered specifically to degrade plant biomass. This breakthrough marks a significant advancement in biofuels production methods. Using an integrated metagenomics, proteomics and carbohydrate enzymology approach, the researchers discovered CelOCE’s multidimensional properties.
Mário Murakami, a professor at the University of Campinas and the head of the biocatalysis and synthetic biology research group at CNPEM. He was the academic lead on the study that discovered this promising enzyme. Depending on how CelOCE works, its implications can dramatically change the biofuel space—especially when it comes to making renewable fuels and chemicals via biomass conversion.
The Structure and Function of CelOCE
Individually, CelOCE is a dimer. This suggests that it is made-up of two identical subunits that tightly cooperate with one another to carry out its multifunctional enzymatic activities. One subunit grabs on to the end of a cellulose fiber, anchoring itself in place. In contrast, this second subunit appears to be unconstrained to perform its associated oxidase function. This dual-functionality enables CelOCE to cleave cellulose oxidatively, generating the required peroxide in situ.
The enzyme’s mode of action represents a breakthrough in cellulose deconstruction. In comparison with classic monooxygenases, CelOCE does much better by greatly improving the cellulose conversion efficiency. When it’s included in enzyme cocktails, it can approximately double the amount of cellulose that’s converted. This paradigm shift in efficiency turns CelOCE into a necessary lever for the development of new biological production routes for biofuels.
Implications for Biofuel Production
Learning how to deconstruct cellulose is a critically important challenge in transforming biomass into valuable fuels and chemicals. CelOCE has some pretty special capabilities that together could significantly increase the potential for ethanol production. This increase will be particularly significant with sugarcane, the principal feedstock of Brazil’s biofuel boom. Brazil is number one in the world in biofuel production. This is home to the only two of the U.S.’s 33 biorefineries that can commercially produce biofuels from cellulose.
We have successfully pilot scaled for quick integration of CelOCE into current production workflows. This novel catalytic enzyme has promise for immediate short to medium term deployment to improve biofuel yields. Countries are scrambling and making Herculean efforts to achieve their renewables targets. CelOCE offers a groundbreaking, efficient solution that accelerates biofuel production and increases efficiency.
Establishing a New Frontier in Biochemistry
The identification of CelOCE represents a major leap forward in enzyme technology, both scientifically and commercially. It advances a growing redox biochemistry frontier for plant biomass depolymerization. This discovery has the potential to unlock future research and development for enzymatic applications across multiple industries.
The multidisciplinary approach used to find CelOCE is a testament to the value of team-based scientific discovery. To expose the latent promise of this enzyme, researchers brought to bear expertise from a range of scientific fields. They learned a lot about its structure and function. Along the way, those public-private partnerships will develop innovative technologies to address some of biomass utilization’s other obstacles.