Clostridium Thermocellum

Clostridium Thermocellum

Clostridium Thermocellum

Posted on: January 05, 2012 - 4:38 pm
by Admin

ABSTRACT

We investigated butanol production from crystalline cellulose by cocultured cellulolytic Clostridium thermocellum and the butanol-producing strain, Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum (strain N1-4). Butanol was produced from Avicel cellulose after it was incubated with C. thermocellum for at least 24 h at 60°C before the addition of strain N1-4. Butanol produced by strain N1-4 on 4% Avicel cellulose peaked (7.9 g/liter) after 9 days of incubation at 30°C, and acetone was undetectable in this coculture system. Less butanol was produced by cocultured Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium beijerinckii than by strain N1-4, indicating that strain N1-4 was the optimal strain for producing butanol from crystalline cellulose in this coculture system.

Structure of cellobiose phosphorylase from Clostridium thermocellum in complex with phosphate

C. M. Bianchetti, N. L. Elsen, B. G. Fox and G. N. Phillips Jr

Abstract: Clostridium thermocellum is a cellulosome-producing bacterium that is able to efficiently degrade and utilize cellulose as a sole carbon source. Cellobiose phosphorylase (CBP) plays a critical role in cellulose degradation by catalyzing the reversible phosphate-dependent hydrolysis of cellobiose, the major product of cellulose degradation, into -D-glucose 1-phosphate and D-glucose. CBP from C. thermocellum is a modular enzyme composed of four domains [N-terminal domain, helical linker, (/)6-barrel domain and C-terminal domain] and is a member of glycoside hydrolase family 94. The 2.4 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of C. thermocellum CBP reveals the residues involved in coordinating the catalytic phosphate as well as the residues that are likely to be involved in substrate binding and discrimination.

PDB reference: 3qde

Keywords: cellobiose; phosphate; phosphorylases; Clostridium thermocellum; glycoside hydrolase family 94.