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Lytic xylan oxidases from wood-decay fungi unlock biomass degradation.

Marie CouturierSimon LadevèzeGerlind SulzenbacherLuisa CianoMathieu FanuelCéline MoreauAna VillaresBernard CathalaFlorence ChaspoulKristian E FrandsenAurore LabourelIsabelle Herpoël-GimbertSacha GriselMireille HaonNicolas LenfantHélène RogniauxDavid RopartzGideon J DaviesMarie-Noëlle RossoPaul H WaltonBernard HenrissatJean-Guy Berrin
Published in: Nature chemical biology (2018)
Wood biomass is the most abundant feedstock envisioned for the development of modern biorefineries. However, the cost-effective conversion of this form of biomass into commodity products is limited by its resistance to enzymatic degradation. Here we describe a new family of fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) prevalent among white-rot and brown-rot basidiomycetes that is active on xylans-a recalcitrant polysaccharide abundant in wood biomass. Two AA14 LPMO members from the white-rot fungus Pycnoporus coccineus substantially increase the efficiency of wood saccharification through oxidative cleavage of highly refractory xylan-coated cellulose fibers. The discovery of this unique enzyme activity advances our knowledge on the degradation of woody biomass in nature and offers an innovative solution for improving enzyme cocktails for biorefinery applications.
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