Cellulose Synthase in Atacama Cyanobacteria and Bioethanol Production from Their Exopolysaccharides

GALETOVIC-CARABANTES, ALEXANDRA LENA; Peña, Gabriel; Fernández, Nicole; Urrutia, Milton; Flores, Nataly; GOMEZ-SILVA, BENITO SEGUNDO; Di Ruggiero, Jocelyne; SHENE-DE VIDTS, CAROLINA; Bustamante, Mariela

Abstract

Cyanobacteria produce exopolysaccharides (EPSs) as an adaptative mechanism against ultraviolet radiation and desiccation. Cellulose is present in the extracellular polymeric substance in some cyanobacteria genera and it has been proposed as a raw material for biofuel production. The goal of this work was to evaluate the cellulose presence in EPS of Atacama cyanobacteria strains and its use as an alternative and innovative biological source to produce bioethanol. The presence of cellulose was evaluated using techniques of molecular biology, bioinformatics, and electronic microscopy. The conserved motif D,D,D,35QXXRW, characteristic of processive β-glycosyltransferase in all cellulose-producing organisms, was identified in the genome of the LLA-10 strain. This is evidence that cellulose synthase in the LLA-10 strain is a functional enzyme. EPS from Atacama cyanobacteria was hydrolyzed by β-glucosidases (cellobiase and cellulase) and the released glucose was yeast-fermented to ethanol. Ethanol production reached 172.69 ± 0.02 mg ethanol/g EPS after 48 h of incubation. These results are the first step in the evaluation of EPS produced by native cyanobacteria isolated from northern Chile for future biotechnological applications such as the production of bioethanol.

Más información

Título según SCOPUS: ID SCOPUS_ID:85178135608 Not found in local SCOPUS DB
Título de la Revista: Microorganisms
Volumen: 11
Fecha de publicación: 2023
DOI:

10.3390/MICROORGANISMS11112668

Notas: SCOPUS