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Posted on  

May 1, 2001

Genencor Identifies Structure of a Novel Fungal Cellulase

International, Inc. announced yesterday the publication, in a peer-reviewed journal, of results describing the structure of a commercially important fungal cellulase, Cel12A (EG3). This work will enable Genencor to develop improved novel cellulase enzymes designed to enhance the efficiency of industrial processes including the production of detergents, textiles, food, paper and fuel alternatives such as ethanol.

The paper, published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, entitled "The X-ray crystal structure of the Trichoderma reesei family 12 endoglucanase 3 (Cel12A) at 1.9A," describes results from an international collaboration between scientists at Genencor, and both Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. Using X-ray crystallography, the scientists determined the specific structural features of the Cel12A protein that provide important insight into the mechanism of action of the protein.

"This publication further validates Genencor's in-depth expertise in fungal biology, protein chemistry, and crystallography," commented Michael Arbige Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development. "Such core competencies are an integral part of our i-biotech(TM) solution, which integrates our full suite of technologies, facilitating the rapid development of more effective and safer biologically engineered materials for the consumer, industrial and health care markets."

Cellulases are a commercially important class of enzymes found in fungal and bacterial microorganisms that utilize plant matter as one of their primary carbon sources. They are responsible for the degradation of plant cell walls and provide a fast and effective means of releasing important fermentable sugars from plant matter. By understanding the precise locations of amino acids within the protein, Genencor can incorporate this information into its molecular evolution and design platform to accelerate the natural evolutionary process and genetically engineer, and optimize, biomaterials in more advantageous ways. Furthermore, the integration of these data into Genencor's immunology platform allows assessment and elimination of potential allergenic risk from newly created biomaterials. Novel enzymes derived from these processes will, for example, be evaluated to enhance the technology for ethanol fuel production from cellulose biomass.  

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