Investigating lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-assisted wood cell wall degradation with microsensors

Hucheng Chang, Neus Gacias Amengual, Alexander Botz, Lorenz Schwaiger, Daniel Kracher, Stefan Scheiblbrandner, Florian Csarman, Roland Ludwig*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) supports biomass hydrolysis by increasing saccharification efficiency and rate. Recent studies demonstrate that H2O2 rather than O2 is the cosubstrate of the LPMO-catalyzed depolymerization of polysaccharides. Some studies have questioned the physiological relevance of the H2O2-based mechanism for plant cell wall degradation. This study reports the localized and time-resolved determination of LPMO activity on poplar wood cell walls by measuring the H2O2 concentration in their vicinity with a piezo-controlled H2O2 microsensor. The investigated Neurospora crassa LPMO binds to the inner cell wall layer and consumes enzymatically generated H2O2. The results point towards a high catalytic efficiency of LPMO at a low H2O2 concentration that auxiliary oxidoreductases in fungal secretomes can easily generate. Measurements with a glucose microbiosensor additionally demonstrate that LPMO promotes cellobiohydrolase activity on wood cell walls and plays a synergistic role in the fungal extracellular catabolism and in industrial biomass degradation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number6258
JournalNature Communications
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General
  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Investigating lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-assisted wood cell wall degradation with microsensors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this