New Enzyme May Lead To Cheaper Bifuels

In this article by Tiffany Stecker and ClimateWire, published August 16, 2013, They describe the discovery of a new plant enzyme that could lead to a discovery in cellulosic bio-based fuels.

Summary

The enzyme Caffeoyl Shikimate Esterase (CSE) has genes that can be turned off to control the production of lignin. Lignin is a structure of cells that gives plants the rigid structure. This substance makes the extraction of sugars from agricultural waste to make biofuels difficult. It has been blocking the commercial production of such fuels for years. Scientists had assumed another gene had been responsible for the production of lignin, but now have found that with the reduction of lignin caused by controlling CSE, they have been able to increase to increase the amount of sugars produced by a small flowering plant. The sugars are used to create an alcohol like ethanol or butanol, that are able to be used as fuel. With CSE's function of the cell switched off, researchers have been able to extract four times the amount of sugar as before, and they have been able to produce 39% less lignin in the small flowering plant.

Relevance
Comparing to our curriculum, this article relates to our learning about enzymes and all of their functions. We learned that enzymes increase the rate at which chemical reactions take place, but this article then shows how important enzymes aren't just for chemical reactions. Specifically this enzyme, CSE, forms the chemicals needed for plants to form their rigid structure. The understanding of enzymes not only allow us to understand how chemical reactions in our body take place, but also allow us to better understand our environment and how to preserve it.

Link
See the article here at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-enzyme-may-lead-to-cheaper-biofuels