Key Bacterial Species for Switchgrass Deconstruction Identified

Using the tools of metagenomics and metaproteomics, a team of scientists led by the US Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has identified bacterial species whose enzymes are actively involved in the deconstruction of switchgrass biomass at high temperature.

The research group reported in the journal Plos One a study on switchgrass-associated consortium of thermophilic bacteria, microbes that thrive at extremely high temperatures and are believed to be a rich source of biomass-degrading enzymes. The study aimed to analyze the functional roles of individual members of the compost-derived microbial consortium in the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass into sugars that can be fermented into biofuels.

The researchers determined the metabolic capabilities of the consortium members through analysis of metagenomic sequences. Then they used metaproteomic measurements to identify the enzymes, predicted by metagenomic analysis, that were actually produced by the microbial community. The team found out that the most abundant strains in the consortium contributed fewer enzymes for biomass deconstruction.

Analysis of the switchgrass deconstruction proteome confirmed the importance of Gemmatimonadetes and Paenibacillus strains and indicated the presence of unexplored bacterial proteins with important roles in lignocellulose deconstruction.