Pulp NonFiction: Fungal analysis reveals clues for targeted biomass deconstruction
Friday, March 23, 2012 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
Without fungi and microbes to break down dead trees and leaf litter in nature, the forest floor might look like a scene from TV's "Hoarders." A comparative genomic analysis of two white rot fungi was just published. Both fungi are of interest to bioenergy researchers because they possess enzymes that can break down plant biomass and could therefore be useful for accelerating biofuels production. The study revealed substantial differences among the sets of genes involved in lignocellulose degradation.