Characterization of the cell wall proteome from sugarcane roots

• Grant number: 11/23818-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Alberto Labate
• Grantee: Amanda Carmanhanis Begossi
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Sugarcane is one of the most sustainable sources of biofuels, due to its social and economic advantages. However, production improvements can lead to a better yield. Aiming to rise productivity, as well as dimishing residues, second generation ethanol, or cellulosic ethanol, is a technology that uses the cellulose that is present in sugarcane bagasse to generate more ethanol. This system could increase the production without rising the planted area, since two thirds of the energy in sugarcane are in the bagasse. In this way, this technology being well developed could result in a great advance and still would bring environmental benefits, combining productivity and sustainability. Despite this, cellulosic ethanol production is not completely viable yet, because the fabrication process is too expensive. Cellulose is one of the key components of the plant cell wall, being broken into sugars that are fermented to the fabrication of second generation ethanol. Cell wall is formed by polymers like celluloses, hemicelluloses, pectins and proteins, that are products from the genic expression. However, little is known about sugarcane cell wall components and further information is required in order to facilitate the process of cellulosic ethanol production, through the yield increase and, still, costs reduction. In this project of scientific initiation, we aim to isolate and extract proteins from sugarcane roots cell wall using proteomics and bioinformatics. To the analysis, proteins will be sequenced and identified, being their subcellular location predicted, validating the method. With this, this project aims to generate information about cell wall components, helping in the process of cellulosic ethanol obtainment. (AU)