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Enhanced conversion of plant biomass into glucose using transgenic rice-produced endoglucanase for cellulosic ethanol

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Abstract

The catalytic domain of Acidothermus cellulolyticus thermostable endoglucanase gene (encoding for endo-1,4-β-glucanase enzyme or E1) was constitutively expressed in rice. Molecular analyses of T1 plants confirmed presence and expression of the transgene. The amount of E1 enzyme accounted for up to 4.9% of the plant total soluble proteins, and its accumulation had no apparent deleterious effects on plant growth and development. Approximately 22 and 30% of the cellulose of the Ammonia Fiber Explosion (AFEX)-pretreated rice and maize biomass respectively was converted into glucose using rice E1 heterologous enzyme. As rice is the major food crop of the world with minimal use for its straw, our results suggest a successful strategy for producing biologically active hydrolysis enzymes in rice to help generate alcohol fuel, by substituting the wasteful and polluting practice of rice straw burning with an environmentally friendly technology.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by DOE/Edenspace (Cooperative Agreement # DE-FG02-04ER86183), Government of Egypt, MSU Research Excellence Funds (REF) and Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research (CPBR Agreement # GO12026-168). The authors are thankful to National Renewable Energy Laboratory for providing the E1 antibodies, Dr. K. Danna for providing the pZM766-E1cat, USDA-ARS in Beaumont, Texas and the National Small Grains Collection at Aberdeen, Idaho for providing the rice seeds. The authors appreciate the critical review of the manuscript by Dr. Brian Hooker and Dr. Chris Somerville.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Hesham Oraby, Rashid Ahmad, Callista Ransom & Mariam Sticklen

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Balan Venkatesh & Bruce Dale

  3. Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    James Oehmke

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  1. Hesham Oraby
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  2. Balan Venkatesh
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  3. Bruce Dale
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  4. Rashid Ahmad
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  5. Callista Ransom
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  6. James Oehmke
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  7. Mariam Sticklen
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Correspondence to Mariam Sticklen.

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Oraby, H., Venkatesh, B., Dale, B. et al. Enhanced conversion of plant biomass into glucose using transgenic rice-produced endoglucanase for cellulosic ethanol. Transgenic Res 16, 739–749 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-006-9064-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-006-9064-9

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