ANR-FUNTASTIC - Fungal copper-radical oxidases as new biocatalysts for the valorization of biomass**carbohydrates and alcohols

以农作物和森林材料为形式的陆地植物生物量是加拿大最重要和最丰富的自然资源之一。事实上，加拿大的森林是标志性的，林产工业长期以来一直是国家国内生产总值(GDP)的主要贡献者。然而，消费者需求的变化和全球经济对传统产品的挑战激发了人们对开发利用森林生物质生产创新的高附加值产品的新途径的浓厚兴趣。同样，从加拿大巨大的农业产出所产生的目前未充分利用的生物质残留物中获得更多价值也同样具有重大意义。与石化炼油厂类似，现代的“生物炼油厂”包括将可再生森林和农业生物质分离成关键成分(包括纤维、复杂碳水化合物、木质素和抽出物)，然后将这些馏分升级为高价值的生物产品。为了实现生物精炼厂转变加拿大生物经济的全部潜力，有必要设计高效、低投入且环境可持续的工艺。*因此，这一战略研究项目的愿景是将通过发现和表征新型酶而获得的基本见解转化为新技术，将原始生物产品升级为高价值材料和化学中间体。最先进的基因组和生化方法将被用来解锁铜自由基氧化酶的催化多样性，其原型成员已被证明选择性地修饰生物质多糖和醇。这些酶独特地只需要氧气作为辅助底物，代表了目前未被充分开发的一类高效生物催化剂，可以利用它们为关键的生物质成分引入新的功能。通过多学科培训和与一家充满活力的加拿大酶技术公司的密切互动，该项目将培养出创新的生物技术和高素质的人才，为加拿大丰富的生物质资源增值。

Terrestrial plant biomass, in the form of agricultural crops and forest materials, constitutes one of Canada's most important and abundant natural resources. Indeed, Canada's forests are iconic, and the forest products industry has long been a major contributor to the national gross domestic product (GDP). However, shifting consumer demands and a challenging global economy for traditional products have stimulated strong interest in the development of novel routes to produce innovative, high valued-added products from forest biomass. There is likewise significant interest to derive more value from the presently under-utilized biomass residues that result from Canada's vast agricultural output. By analogy with the petrochemical refinery, the modern "biorefinery" comprises the separation of renewable forest and agricultural biomass into key constituents (including fibres, complex carbohydrates, lignin, and extractives), followed by upgrading of these fractions to high-value bioproducts. To realize the full potential of the biorefinery to transform Canada's bioeconomy, there is significant need to devise efficient, low-input processes that are also environmentally sustainable.****Thus, the vision of this Strategic research project is to translate fundamental insight gained through the discovery and characterization of novel enzymes, to develop new technology to upgrade raw bioproducts to high-value materials and chemical intermediates. State-of-the-art genomic and biochemical methods will be used to unlock the catalytic diversity of the Copper-Radical Oxidases, archetypal members of which have been shown to selectively modify biomass polysaccharides and alcohols. These enzymes, which uniquely require only oxygen as a co-substrate, represent a currently under-exploited class of efficient biocatalysts that can be harnessed to introduce new functionality into key biomass components. Through multi-disciplinary training and close interaction with a dynamic Canadian enzyme technology company, this project will produce innovative biotechnology and highly qualified personnel to add value to Canada's vast biomass resources.