Bacterial enzymes involved in lignin degradation

Lignin forms a large part of plant biomass. It is a highly heterogeneous polymer of 4-hydroxyphenylpropanoid units and is embedded within polysaccharide polymers forming lignocellulose. Lignin provides strength and rigidity to plants and is rather resilient towards degradation. To improve the (bio)processing of lignocellulosic feedstocks, more effective degradation methods of lignin are in demand. Nature has found ways to fully degrade lignin through the production of dedicated ligninolytic enzyme systems. While such enzymes have been well thoroughly studied for ligninolytic fungi, only in recent years biochemical studies on bacterial enzymes capable of lignin modification have intensified. This has revealed…

• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Award: 022.004.006
• MD
  Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
• CA
  Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector, Ministry of Higher Education