STTR Phase I: Termite-derived enzymatic tree bio-herbicides

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是一种新的树木生物除草剂，以防止树桩和树冠树木发芽。如果成功，它将取代目前用于阻止树桩发芽、剔除不需要的树木、预防疾病和控制国家公园和森林、管理林地以及公路、铁路、管道、电线和其他路权的入侵物种的合成化学除草剂。在白蚁仿生学方法中，酶的作用模式模仿白蚁的消化机制，将木质组织降解为其自然分解产物。该项目将提高对白蚁消化的科学认识，并将这种认识应用于开发一种商业生物替代品，以取代目前使用的合成化学品。这个第一阶段研究项目的技术目标是表征白蚁消化酶对不同树种取食的活性反应，开发一种能够大规模生产最有前途的白蚁木质纤维素酶的异源生产微生物，确定它们与商业木质纤维素酶组合的协同效应，并证明这些混合物降解实木和防止形成层愈合的能力。该项目推进白蚁消化学，并寻求将之前由美国国家科学基金会部分资助的研究商业化。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is a novel tree bio-herbicide to prevent sprouting of stumps and girdled trees. If successful, it would replace synthetic chemical herbicides currently used to stop stump sprouting, cull unwanted trees, prevent disease, and control invasive species in national parks and forests, managed timberlands, and along roads, railroads, pipelines, power lines, and other rights-of-way. In a termite biomimicry approach, the enzymatic mode-of-action mimics the digestive mechanisms of termites to degrade woody tissues into their natural breakdown products. This project will enhance the scientific understanding of termite digestion and apply this understanding toward developing a commercial biological alternative to the synthetic chemicals used today. The technical objectives in this Phase I research project are to characterize termite digestive enzyme activity responses to feeding on different wood species, to develop a heterologous production microbe capable of large scale production of the most promising termite lignocellulases, to determine their synergistic effects in combinations with commercial lignocellulases, and to demonstrate the ability of these blends to degrade solid wood and prevent cambium healing. This project advances termite digestomics and seeks to commercialize research previously funded in-part by the NSF.