Hot Springs Microbe Yields Heat-Tolerant Enzyme

In search for enzymes that can be used in extreme temperature industrial processes, a research team discovered a new type of hyperthermophilic microbe in a 95^oC (203^oF) geothermal pool in a Nevada hotspring. The microbe metabolizes plant materials such as cellulose at temperatures near the water boiling point.

The cellulase enzyme isolated from the microbe was found to pretreat feedstocks like Miscanthus at hot temperature solutions and break down the lignocelluloses and liberate cellulose. This therefore suggests that this cellulases may be used in the same reaction vessel in which feedstocks are pretreated.

"Our hope is that this example and examples from other organisms found in extreme environments — such as high-temperature, highly alkaline or acidic, or high salt environments — can provide cellulases that will show improved function under conditions typically found in industrial applications, including the production of biofuels," said Douglas S. Clark of UC Berkeley, one of the co-authors of the paper.

For more on the news, see the original article at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/25882