Since Compost Is Resistant To Fuels: Thermophilic Fungus Sequenced

International researchers map the fungi that break down biomass promising high temperature

Montreal, October 3, 2011 - Two heat-loving fungi, often found in compost that self-ignition without flame or spark, may soon have new vocations. The complete genetic makeup and terrestris Myceliophthora Thielavia thermophila has been decoded by an international group of scientists.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, may lead to rapid development and the environment based on the biomass of oil, chemicals and other industrial raw materials.

"The organisms that grow at high temperatures are rare. Less than 40 heat-loving fungus has been identified, and they are very promising in the production of many chemicals and fuels from biomass, "said lead author Adrian Tsang, professor of biology at Concordia University and Director its Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics. "We have deciphered the genetic code of two fungi such. To our knowledge these are the only organisms except some bacteria whose genomes have been completely sequenced from beginning to end."

In sequencing Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris, the research also found that both fungi can accelerate the breakdown of fibrous plants at temperatures 40-70 degrees. This temperature is too hot for many of the typical enzymes, which are an important part of some industrial processes to break down biomass for a wide range of chemicals and products.

But where others fail, these fungi grow. "Our next goal is to understand how these organizations flourish at high temperatures and what makes it so effective in decomposing plant material," said Tsang.

These results are further encouraged to find better ways to change the green waste - stems, branches, leaves, straw and farm - chemicals and renewable fuels. Enzymes produced by these fungi can be tweaked to replace the use of chemicals harmful to the environment in the production of herbal products such as pulp and paper.

With a team of multi-sectoral research, consisting of scientists from academia, government and industry is essential for these new developments.

"We could not have done these results separately, as this type of research benefits enormously from the intellectual contributions of researchers from different sectors," said Tsang. "This is an important finding, because we are positioning ourselves in a fossil fuel economy to one that uses materials from biomass."