Cell wall genomics in the recombinogenic moss physcomitrella patens

Abstract

The growing interest in cellulosic ethanol as a sustainable biofuel has focused attention on modifying plants and plant cell walls in particular so that they can serve as a more effective feedstock for ethanol production. A substantial effort is now underway to develop methods that can increase the efficiency of cellulose breakdown by chemical or enzymatic pretreatments in order to generate fermentable sugars. This approach is leading to novel technologies for preprocessing and cell wall digestion, and the identification, selection, and production of enzymes with improved properties for industrial application (for example, heat stable hydrolytic enzymes). © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.