Mapping the membrane proteome of Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger for identification of sugar transporters during sugarcane bagasse degradation

• Grant number: 17/08446-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 30, 2017
• End date: September 25, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Roberto do Nascimento Silva
• Grantee: Karoline Maria Vieira Nogueira
• Supervisor: Mark Molloy
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Macquarie University, Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/09553-8 - Characterization of new sugar transporters involved in the regulation of lignocellulosic biomass degradation in Trichoderma reesei, BP.DR

Abstract

One of the major challenges of biotechnology is the development of biological processes that reduce the negative impacts on the environment caused by the burning of fossil fuels. In this context, biofuels have received attention in recent decades. Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger are among the main producers of lignocellulolytic enzymes, which are used in the conversion of lignocellulosic raw materials to fermentable sugars. However, the mechanism of biomass degradation between these fungi seems to be different. Although there are advances in research related to the activation and production of these enzymes, little is known about the transport systems for the sugar uptake and the influence of these transporters on the degradation of the biomass. The knowledge about fungal transport is essential for understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the process of lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction for the development of new technologies that aim to optimize the process of obtaining bioethanol and reduce the cost of biofuel. Therefore, the project aims to identify and classify the sugar transporters involved in the process of lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction in these fungi, using tools for in silico and in vivo analysis of its membrane-associated proteome, through mass spectrometric measurements and proteomics data analysis. Subsequently, the characterization of these identified transporters will provide information to describe the differences in the biomass degradation mechanism of each fungus and why this occurs.