Advanced study of sugarcane bagasse degradation in cockroaches

• Grant number: 23/18106-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - Brazil
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Silveira Buckeridge
• Grantee: Marcos Silveira Buckeridge
• Visiting researcher: Ednildo de Alcantara Machado
• Visiting researcher institution: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho (IBCCF), Brazil
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50884-5 - INCT 2014: National Institute of Science and Technology of Bioethanol, AP.TEM

Abstract

Project SummaryThe project aims to investigate the degradation of sugarcane bagasse and arabinoxylan polymer during the digestive process of the cockroach species Periplaneta americana, as well as by the bacterial consortium originating from the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea (NaLC). The first part of the project will explore the effect of different diets on enzymatic activity, gene/protein expression, morphological analyses of the bagasse, and the monosaccharide composition of the intestinal segments of P. americana. In the second stage of the project, various genes selected from the genome/transcriptome of P. americana and the NaLC consortium (mainly glycosyl hydrolases, esterases, and oxidases) will be cloned and expressed in expression vectors. The recombinant enzymes will be added to commercial enzymatic cocktails for sugarcane bagasse saccharification tests. The project will employ various techniques during its development, such as mass spectrometry for protein sequencing, PCR, qPCR, metagenomics, transcriptomics, and various types of microscopy (confocal, super resolution, and scanning). The development will enable the establishment of collaborations with various researchers and institutions in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (USP São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto, Unicamp, and LNBR). The cloning and expression of heterologous genes (mainly esterases, oxidases, and hydrolases) will enhance the commercial enzymatic cocktails used by national industries, or perhaps produce enzymes for the construction of national enzymatic cocktails. The project will be predominantly developed in the State of São Paulo under the supervision of Marcos Buckeridge from the Department of Botany at the Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB) of the University of São Paulo (USP), in partnership with the company Raízen, which will assist in determining the key enzymes used in critical processes for obtaining second-generation biofuels. This project may contribute to the training of specialized personnel for the proponent and promote significant collaboration between research groups in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and the private sector in a strategically important area for our country. (AU)