Metagenomic approaches to the discovery of cellulases

David J. Rooks, James E McDonald, Alan J. McCarthy

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Most of the microorganisms responsible for nutrient cycling in the environment have yet to be cultivated, and this could include those species responsible for the degradation of cellulose. Known cellulases are well defined at the protein sequence level, but gene variants are difficult to amplify from environmental DNA. The identification of novel cellulase genes independent of DNA amplification is made possible by adopting a direct metagenome sequencing approach to provide genes that can be cloned, expressed, and characterized prior to potential exploitation, all in the absence of any information on the species from which they originated. In this chapter, emerging strategies and methods that will enable the identification of novel cellulase genes and provide an unbiased perspective on gene expression in situ are presented.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)375-94
    Number of pages20
    JournalMethods in Enzymology
    Volume510
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2012

    Keywords

    • Bacteria
    • Cellulases
    • DNA
    • Fungi
    • Gene Expression Profiling
    • Gene Library
    • Metagenomics
    • RNA
    • Transduction, Genetic
    • Journal Article
    • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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