Characterization of the cell wall proteins from sorghum

• Grant number: 11/23817-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Alberto Labate
• Grantee: Laís Vaz Setem
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is today the second largest ethanol producer, representing an alternative to gasoline. According to EMBRAPA, sugarcane will continue as the major raw material, but the demand for Sorghum will be high, in the next years. With the need of increasing productivity, second-generation ethanol has generated interest. This kind of fuel uses lignocellulosic components as raw materials. Sorghum is one of the richest crops in lignocellulose http://www.cpact.embrapa.br/ publicacoes/downloadlivro/agroenergia2008/Agroener/palestras/terca_feira/Sorgo%20na%20producao_etanol_brasil.pdf). However, this technology is not economically viable. With this, studies are fundamental to know more about the physiological processes involved in fibers formation and how they expand and contract during sugarcane growing, aiming to produce varieties with higher fibers so that we can have more raw materials and, still, make possible the obtainment of cellulose ethanol more rapidly. The aim of this project is to characterize cell wall proteins from Sorghum sugarcane, variety DOW 1G-282, and compare it with the results already found with sugarcane from variety SP803280. This work intends to generate information about which proteins can be acting in the fiber deposition and help in further studies related to cellulosic ethanol viability.(AU)