Palo Podrido: A Unique Model to Study Selective Delignification of Wood

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This award supports interdisciplinary cooperative research in the delignification of wood to be conducted by Robert A. Blanchette of the University of Minnesota and Eduardo A. Trumper of the University of Chile in Santiago. They will carry out chemical, biochemical and structural investigations to determine the mechanisms responsible for the preferential degradation of lignin by "palo podrido," a type of white rot found only in the rain forests of southern Chile. Cellulose is not degraded and the wood becomes highly digestible. The major enzymes, which move from the fungus into the wood, the morphology of how they move and how they attack lignin in the cell walls all will be studied using immunocytochemical methods. The research will provide an understanding of decomposition processes, information for use in new biotechnologies as well as on how to use enzymes from lignin-degrading fungi for industrial purposes. The investigators have complementary backgrounds and both have excellent credentials. The facilities at St. Paul and at Santiago are completely adequate for this work which will be a good example of cooperation under the Science in Developing Countries program.