Institute of Chemistry
Topic
Hemicellulolytic enzymes of Schizophyllum commune
PhD. program
Biotechnology
Name of the supervisor
Mgr. Vladimír Puchart, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology
Annotation
Hemicelluloses are the second most abundant source of organically bound carbon on Earth. Due to their complexity, a wide range of enzymes is required for their decomposition into monosaccharide building blocks. One of the most effective producers of these enzymes is the wood-destroying fungus Schizophyllum commune. Although several enzymes produced by this white wood-destroying fungus have been isolated and characterized, the recently sequenced genome of this fungus has revealed a much greater variety of putative hemicellulose catabolism enzymes. A search in the genome to identify putative new enzymes, their isolation and characterization, as well as a better understanding of the collaboration between these new and currently known enzymes will contribute to our efforts to make efficient and environmentally friendly use of this annually renewed carbon source.