Bacterial lignin-degrading enzymes: characterization and biocatalytic potential.

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Bacteria are responsible for most of the degradation of natural and anthropogenic compounds in the biosphere. This degradation constitutes an essential link in the global carbon cycle and is critical to sustaining life as we know it. In addition, this degradation represents a rich, but barely tapped source of biocatalysts for efficient, environmentally friendly industrial processes. Over the past 17 years, my NSERC-funded research program has provided novel insights into the function of bacterial enzymes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds. Over the next five years, I will focus my program on enzymes that degrade lignin, a complex aromatic polymer that comprises about 25% of the land-based biomass. Lignin occurs in tight association with cellulose and hemicellulose to form the strong, rigid structure associated with wood that is extremely resistant to degradation. Deconstructing this lignocellulose is critical to using biomass as a renewable source of energy and biomaterials. While the fungal enzymes involved in this process have been studied for many years, bacterial lignin-degrading enzymes have been largely overlooked. My research will focus on three enzymes involved in lignin degradation: a manganese peroxidase, a lignostilbene oxygenase and LigY, a hydrolase. Each of these represents an important class of enzymes that are not well understood. The proposed research will increase our understanding of what these enzymes do and how they do it. This will in turn provide fundamental insights into the molecular mechanism of important biological processes and facilitate their biotechnological exploitation. More particularly, the knowledge gained will facilitate the design of biocatalysts to transform low-value lignin into high-value materials, such as feedstock for resins or carbon fibres. The research objectives will be achieved using an interdisciplinary approach involving a variety of cutting-edge techniques. The research will benefit from a number of tools and approaches that are quite unique to the Eltis lab. Finally, the research program provides students and postdoctoral researchers with a wide range of skills, preparing them for careers in academia and industry.