Rot's unique wood degrading machinery to be harnessed for better biofuels production
Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 15:42
in Biology & Nature
An international team led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory have translated the genetic code that explains the complex biochemical machinery making brown-rot fungi uniquely destructive to wood. The same processes that provide easier access to the energy-rich sugar molecules bound up in the plant's tenacious architecture are leading to innovations for the biofuels industry. The research, conducted by more than 50 authors, is reported in the February 4 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).