University of Wisconsin Researchers Discover How Streptomyces Degrades Cellulose

A new analysis of the bacteria Streptomyces reveals the way some strains of the microbe develop advanced abilities to degrade cellulose, and points out ways how the industry could mimic those abilities for biofuel production.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers measured the abilities of more than 200 types of Streptomyces bacteria by growing them on simple sugar and filter paper, a good source of cellulose. They were able to collect the genomes of strong cellulose degrading strains, and identify the genes that set them apart.

The successful Streptomyces strains were those typically found living in communities with insects. These strains can ramp up production of certain enzymes as well as the proteins that cleave, dissolve, and pick apart cellulose. It's the particular combinations of enzymes that makes the research useful to scientists working on biofuels.

The study identifies important enzymes, and new groups of enzymes, produced when Streptomyces degrades cellulose. These findings could be of great advantage for biofuel production.