Functional analysis of C-terminal disordered regions (dCTRs) associated with lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs): biochemical characterization and assessment of potential roles in enzyme stability and electron transfer to the LPMO domain

• Grant number: 23/09421-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 29, 2023
• End date: January 28, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Segato
• Grantee: Gabriel de Almeida Fozzati
• Supervisor: Aniko Varnai
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/14376-1 - Functional analysis of disordered regions associated to lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMO): Biochemical characterization and interaction with cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH), BP.IC

Abstract

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are gaining importance in plant biomass valorization due to their ability to accelerate biomass saccharification to platform sugars and to create functional groups in cellulose fibers. As LPMOs are a relatively recent discovery, many of their characteristics remain unknown, including the role of enigmatic disordered C-terminal regions (dCTRs) that seem to be highly abundant in LPMOs. The current undergraduate research project focuses on investigating the hitherto unknown function of such a dCTR in AfAA9C, an LPMO from Aspergillus fumigatus. We will focus on elucidating its potential role in LPMO stability as well as in the LPMO's interaction with the redox partner enzyme CDH, regarding protein-protein interactions and electron transfer. The objective of this BEPE project is to investigate this interaction through various approaches in collaboration with Res. Prof. Aniko Varnai and Prof. Vincent Eijsink, whose group at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences is a pioneer in LPMO research. (AU)