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Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.

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Other Authors: Cowan, Don A.
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Cowan, Don A.
author_browse Cowan, Don A.
author_facet Cowan, Don A.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.
format Thesis
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:10.076Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/70466 Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase Cowan, Don A. jonathan.botha@fabi.up.ac.za Myburg, Alexander Andrew Mizrachi, Eshchar Botha, Jonathan UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. The recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass to enzymic digestion remains a significant obstacle to the adoption of an environmentally and economically sustainable strategy for the synthesis of biomaterials. Traditional industrial pre-treatments are harsh, require significant investments of energy and money, and tend to produce degradation products which inhibit downstream processes. Carbohydrate Active enZymes (CAZymes) may reduce recalcitrance, through heterologous expression directly in the lignocellulosic biomass. CAZymes from extremely thermophilic organisms are not normally active at the mesophilic temperatures, allowing for accumulation in the biomass without negatively affecting the growth and development of the plant. Harvested biomass could then be heat-treated, activating the CAZymes and inducing hydrolysis of the biomass. Additionally, chimeric thermostable enzymes could be constructed from extremely thermophilic CAZyme domains, tailored to target specific biopolymers and perform directed modifications. However, while full-length CAZymes have been investigated, the extent of lignocellulose degrading capacity of extremely thermophilic CAZyme domains has not been assessed and the ability to produce and express chimeric CAZymes in planta has not been determined. In this thesis, the CAZyme domain content of extremely thermophilic organisms was surveyed and capacity for degradation of lignocellulose was assessed. A list of CAZyme domains from extremely thermophilic organisms was produced via HMMER analysis. There were differences in CAZyme composition between extremely thermophilic archaea and bacteria, which could be mainly attributed to differences in nutritional strategy as well as synthesis, composition and structure of the cell walls in the organisms. Many putative lignocellulose degrading and targeting domains were present in the dataset, identified mostly in bacteria, though some were found only in archaea. It was also seen that more CAZyme domain variants and CAZyme domain classes are likely to be identified as more genomes of extremely thermophilic organisms are sequenced. Additionally, a chimeric CAZyme consisting of a thermostable GH11 domain and plant-derived CBM22 domains designated Xyl22L was designed, synthesised and heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana. The effect on growth and development of the plant as well as recalcitrance to enzymic digestion of the biomass was determined. Xyl22L did not retain catalytic xylanase activity but was able to accumulate in transgenic plant biomass, and expression of Xyl22L was strongly correlated with an increase in transgenic plant biomass. Fluorescent confocal microscopy showed that Xyl22L was associated with the secondary cell wall (SCW) in transgenic plants, indicating that the CBM22 domains retained function. Finally, transgenic plant lines showed increased recalcitrance to enzymic digestion, possibly through Xyl22L adhering to the SCW and preventing access of hydrolytic enzymes. This work provides a list of extremely thermophilic CAZyme domains, providing insight into the survival and evolution of extremely thermophilic organisms as well as a toolbox of thermostable domains for the synthesis of custom chimeric enzymes. Additionally, this work provides an example of such an enzyme, and provides proof of concept that plant-based CBMs may be used to target enzymes to specific biopolymers or locations in plant biomass. Together, these findings could be applied to white biotechnological processes, allowing for cheaper and more energy efficient bioproduct synthesis, enabling a transition away from a petrochemical-based products. Genetics PhD Unrestricted 2019-07-08T09:46:29Z 2019-07-08T09:46:29Z 2019/04/29 2018 Thesis Botha, J 2018, Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70466> A2019 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70466 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
title Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
title_full Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
title_fullStr Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
title_full_unstemmed Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
title_short Design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
title_sort design characterisation and in planta expression of a chimeric xylanase
topic UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70466