The cell wall provides both protection and structural support to plants. The mechanical strength of the cell wall stems from a complex network of different cell wall polymers – cellulose, different hemicelluloses, and lignin. During lignification of the cell wall, covalent bonds are formed between lignin and hemicelluloses, which restricts degradation, both for microorganisms and industrial processes. A type of enzyme able to cleave these lignin-hemicellulose bonds has recently been discovered, but to properly utilize the enzymes, detailed biochemical and structural information is necessary. In this project, we use biochemical methods in connection to X-ray crystallography to shed light on the enzyme action on the atom scale.
Partner organizations
- University of Copenhagen (Academic, Denmark)
Start date
01/08/2016
End date
The project is closed: 31/05/2021