Press releases

Deciphering the genetic mechanisms involved in enzyme production: promising results for the production of 2nd-generation biofuels

15 October 2009

A joint project between IFP, ENS, the Joint Genome Institute and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of the DOE and the Vienna University of Technology

An international team of researchers from IFP, the École Normale Supérieure de Paris (ENS), two US Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories (the Joint Genome Institute and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), the Vienna University of Technology and the Danish biotechnology company, Novozymes, has just published the initial results of its research into strain mutations in Trichoderma reesei (a filamentous fungus that secretes large quantities of enzymes (cellulases), used for biomass degradation) in a leading journal in the field of biology, the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America).

Improving the productivity of the microbial strains secreting the enzymes required to convert cellulose into sugars is one of the major challenges for the development of 2nd-generation ethanol (lignocellulosic biomass) technology. Enzymatic hydrolysis requires large amounts of enzymes – 10 to 100 times more than 1st-generation processes – and these are currently very expensive to produce. The Trichoderma reesei fungus is the main cellulase-producing organism used by industry. It is grown in closed reactors and the enzymes are recovered at the end of the process.

Using high-speed DNA sequencing technologies, the researchers analyzed the complete genome of several strains of Trichoderma reesei produced from the same selection line. More than 200 mutations were observed on more than 40 genes. Mapping of the mutations of each strain and their comparison made it possible to identify those genes directly involved in increasing cellulase production. This initial research will improve scientists’ understanding of the biological mechanisms involved, leading to improvements in enzyme production. It will be possible to optimize these mechanisms through genetic modification.

These results are the culmination of a successful international joint collaboration, bringing together different research laboratories boasting complementary key skills in the field of biotechnologies. In particular, IFP coordinated the majority of the research and contributed its knowledge in the field of microorganism genetics, working in close partnership with ENS.

This work opens up some promising opportunities for the development of Trichoderma reesei strains capable of producing enzymes more efficiently than at present, thereby improving the profitability of 2nd-generation ethanol technology.