| Ref.No: | 62424700 |
| Start date: | 11.03.2024 |
| End date: | 10.03.2025 |
| Approval date: | 06.03.2024 |
| Department: | CHEMICAL ENGINEERING |
| Sector: | SYNTHESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES |
| Financier: | KEMIN INDUSTRIES INC |
| Budget: | 87.759,76 € |
| Public key: | ΨΥΦ646ΨΖΣ4-Ξ06 |
| Scientific Responsible: | Assoc. Prof. TOPAKAS |
| Email: | vtopakas@central.ntua.gr |
| Description: | CORN ARABINOGLUCURONOXYLAN (AGX) IS AN EXAMPLE OF A NOTORIOUSLY RECALCITRANT TYPE OF HEMICELLULOSE, OWING TO ITS BRANCHED MAIN CHAIN XYLAN THAT BEARS VARIOUS CHEMICAL SUBSTITUTIONS ON ITS Β-1,4-LINKED XYLOSE MONOMERS. ITS EFFICIENT AND COMPLETE DEGRADATION POSES GREAT CHALLENGES, AND IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED THAT VARIABLE ENZYMATIC SPECIFICITIES— WORKING IN A SYNERGISTIC MANNER— ARE REQUIRED TOWARDS THIS END. CONSIDERING THE RECALCITRANT NATURE OF CORN AGX, AN ALTERNATIVE TO DEFINED MIXTURES OF RECOMBINANTLY EXPRESSED AND PURIFIED ENZYMES WOULD BE THE COMPLETE SECRETOME OF A FUNGAL SPECIES THAT CAN NATURALLY GROW ON RELEVANT LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIALS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE PROTEIN COMPONENTS OF THE INDUSTRIALLY RELEVANT ASCOMYCETE HUMICOLA SP. SECRETOME, GROWN ON DIFFERENT LIGNOCELLULOSIC CARBON SOURCES, AND TO IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED LIGNOCELLULOLYTIC ENZYMES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CORN AGX DEGRADATION. FUNGAL CULTURES, SELECTED IN VITRO ENZYMATIC ASSAYS, AND SIMULATED DIGESTIVE SYSTEM TESTS WILL INFORM THE DESIGN OF THE QUANTITATIVE PROTEOMICS ANALYSES THAT WILL, EVENTUALLY, ELUCIDATE THE SECRETOME-BASED AGX DEGRADATION. |
