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

Chang, Hucheng; Gacias Amengual, Neus; Botz, Alexander; Schwaiger, Lorenz; Kracher, Daniel; Scheiblbrandner, Stefan; Csarman, Florian; Ludwig, Roland · Nat Commun · 2022

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) supports biomass hydrolysis by increasing saccharification efficiency and rate. Recent studies demonstrate that H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> rather than O<sub>2</sub> is the cosubstrate of the LPMO-catalyzed depolymerization of polysaccharides. Some studies have questioned the physiological relevance of the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-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 H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> concentration in their vicinity with a piezo-controlled H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> microsensor. The investigated Neurospora crassa LPMO binds to the inner cell wall layer and consumes enzymatically generated H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. The results point towards a high catalytic efficiency of LPMO at a low H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> 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.

Medical subject headings