SCREENING, CLONING, PURIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND SYNERGIC ACTION OF AN ENDOGLUCANASE FROM Bacillus bombysepticus

• Grant number: 23/07808-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Eliana Gertrudes de Macedo Lemos
• Grantee: Geovana Mondini Valverde
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/20825-0 - Use of (meta) genomics and microbial consortia for the creation of enzymatic cocktail for the production of metabolites of industrial interest through the lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

Plant roots harbor a vast microbial community, constituting the habitat of several microorganisms that have metabolic pathways with enzymes specialized in the degradation of lignocellulosic components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Knowing these enzymes and their applications is essential to improve enzymatic pre-treatment processes aimed at breaking down lignin and increasing the exposure of cellulose and hemicellulose. Pretreatment technologies aim to increase the accessibility of enzymes to biomass and maximize the yield of fermentable sugars. Cellulosic biomass material is first converted to glucose by chemical or enzymatic process, and then the glucose is fermented to produce ethanol. In Brazil, tons of agro-industrial residues of lignocellulosic composition are generated annually, offering a potential source of biomass for the production of second generation ethanol. Among the enzymes responsible for the degradation of polymeric cellulose, endoglucanases stand out, which act synergistically in subsequent hydrolytic reactions. Endoclucanases promote the random breaking of internal bonds in the cellulose chain, making the ends accessible to the action of other enzymes. Considering the importance of endoglucanases in enzymatic pretreatment processes, this study aims to express and characterize, in silico and kinetically, an endo-1,4-²-glucanase identified and annotated in the genome of Bacillus bombysepticus, in addition to evaluating its hydrolytic activity in relation to sugarcane bagasse. With this study, it is expected to obtain relevant information about the prospected endoglucanase, contributing to the understanding of its catalytic properties. The results obtained may have practical applications in the development of more efficient enzymatic pre-treatment processes, aiming at the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic agro-industrial residues.