Functional characterization of GH7 endoglucanase from Aspergillus fumigatus

Abstract

Concern the environmental impacts has stimulated many efforts to replace fossil fuels with biofuels, from biomass, such as 2G ethanol. In this scenario, the availability of biomass as sugarcane bagasse strengthens Bioeconomy in Brazil, but much effort is still needed to fully utilize lignocellulosic materials for bioproducts and biofuels production. The search for new enzymes or the improvement of available enzymes will certainly contribute to the improvement of various industrial processes, within the context of bioeconomics and green chemistry. In this sense, after cloning and purification of an endoglucanase from A. fumigatus (Af-EGL7), we suggest that this protein is an useful complement in commercial enzymatic cocktails for the biomasses saccharification such as sugarcane bagasse. Endoglucanases catalyze the initial attack on the cellulose polymer, acting on the random cleavage of glycosidic bonds in the amorphous regions of the chain, releasing minor oligosaccharides. Considering the importance of this hydrolytic enzyme for the plant biomass degradation, the objective of this project is a better functional characterization of Af-EGL7, through expression in P. pastoris KM71H and subsequent characterization. The results can be valuable for new potential targets in the optimization of the enzymatic cocktails used in the production of bioproducts from the biomass.