The deconstruction of lignin to enhance the release of fermentable sugars from plant cell walls presents a challenge for biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass. The discovery of novel lignin-degrading enzymes from bacteria could provide advantages over fungal enzymes in terms of their production and relative ease of protein engineering. In this study, 140 bacterial strains isolated from soils of a biodiversity-rich rainforest in Peru were screened based on their oxidative activity on ABTS, a laccase substrate. Strain C6 (Bacillus pumilus) and strain B7 (Bacillus atrophaeus) were selected for their high laccase activity and identified by 16S rDNA analysis. Strains B7 and C6 degraded fragments of Kraft lignin and the lignin model dimer guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether, the most abundant linkage in lignin. Finally, LC-MS analysis of incubations of strains B7 and C6 with poplar biomass in rich and minimal media revealed that a higher number of compounds were released in the minimal medium than in the rich one. These findings provide important evidence that bacterial enzymes can degrade and/or modify lignin and contribute to the release of fermentable sugars from lignocellulose.

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Diets shape the animal gut microbiota, although the relationships between diets and the structure of the gut microbial community are not yet well understood. The gut bacterial communities of Reticulitermes flavipes termites fed on four individual plant biomasses with different degrees of recalcitrance to biodegradation were investigated by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing analysis. The termite gut bacterial communities could be differentiated between grassy and woody diets, and among grassy diets (corn stover vs. sorghum). The majority of bacterial taxa were shared across all diets, but each diet significantly enriched some taxa. Interestingly, the diet of corn stover reduced gut bacterial richness and diversity compared to other diets, and this may be related to the lower recalcitrance of this biomass to degradation.

fax +31(0)317483457; email luisa. trindade@wur.nl) † These authors contributed equally to this study.Keywords: starch, E. coli glycogen branching enzyme, GLGB, starchbinding domain, starch granule morphology. SummaryThe Escherichia coli glycogen branching enzyme (GLGB) was fused to either the C-or N-terminus of a starch-binding domain (SBD) and expressed in two potato genetic backgrounds: the amylose-free mutant (amf) and an amylose-containing line (Kardal). Regardless of background or construct used, a large amount of GLGB/SBD fusion protein was accumulated inside the starch granules, however, without an increase in branching. The presence of GLGB/SBD fusion proteins resulted in altered morphology of the starch granules in both genetic backgrounds. In the amf genetic background, the starch granules showed both amalgamated granules and porous starch granules, whereas in Kardal background, the starch granules showed an irregular rough surface. The altered starch granules in both amf and Kardal backgrounds were visible from the initial stage of potato tuber development. High-throughput transcriptomic analysis showed that expression of GLGB/SBD fusion protein in potato tubers did not affect the expression level of most genes directly involved in the starch biosynthesis except for the up-regulation of a betaamylase gene in Kardal background. The beta-amylase protein could be responsible for the degradation of the extra branches potentially introduced by GLGB.