Study of the Molecular Basis of Carbohydrate Binding Modules (CBMs) from Metagenomic Screenings

• Grant number: 13/06336-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Ana Carolina de Mattos Zeri
• Grantee: Bruna Medéia de Campos
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/14009-5 - Study of the binding interactions of carbohydrate binding modules and carbohydrates, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

In recent years, due to the growing global demand for energy, the dependence on fossil fuels and the limited natural ressources and environmental pollution, biofuels have attracted great interest as source of renewable energy. However, the production from plant biomass is still considered an expensive technology and with low efficiency. In this context, the study of carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) is attracting attention. CBMs are protein modules involved on guiding catalytic modules to the polysaccharidases. The study of these protein modules becomes critical for the future production of enzyme chimeras, aiming at the development of more efficient and inexpensive process for biomass conversion onto biofuels. The study of metagenomics has also been extremely important for the identification of new biocatalysts. Currently, 99% of the microorganisms found in these studies cannot be cultured in the laboratory, and so researchers resort to large-scale DNA analysis and bioinformatics techniques for their identification.Dr. Fabio Squina's group identified several enzymes which have potential CBMs, including a cellulase and a xylanase, both with aminoacid sequences portions with characteristics of CBMs, and sharing some degree of identity with other enzymes that have CBMs.This project is aimed at characterizing these putative CBMs, through binding assays and high-resolution structural studies, hoping to elucidate the mechanism of interaction of these modules with their substrates.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TRAMONTINA, ROBSON; FRANCO CAIRO, JOAO PAULO L.; LIBERATO, MARCELO V.; MANDELLI, FERNANDA; SOUSA, AMANDA; SANTOS, SAMANTHA; RABELO, SARITA CANDIDA; CAMPOS, BRUNA; IENCZAK, JACIANE; RULLER, ROBERTO; et al. The Coptotermes gestroi aldo-keto reductase: a multipurpose enzyme for biorefinery applications. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS, v. 10, JAN 3 2017. (13/06336-0, 12/20549-4, 14/20576-7, 14/04105-4, 08/58037-9)

CAMPOS, BRUNA MEDEIA; LIBERATO, MARCELO VIZONA; ALVAREZ, THABATA MARIA; ZANPHORLIN, LETICIA MARIA; EMATSU, GABRIELA CRISTINA; BARUD, HERNANE; POLIKARPOV, IGOR; RULLER, ROBERTO; GILBERT, HARRY J.; DE MATTOS ZERI, ANA CAROLINA; et al. A Novel Carbohydrate-binding Module from Sugar Cane Soil Metagenome Featuring Unique Structural and Carbohydrate Affinity Properties. Journal of Biological Chemistry, v. 291, n. 45, p. 23734-23743, NOV 4 2016. (13/06336-0, 08/58037-9, 14/04105-4, 10/11469-1)