Welcome to the 31st IUBS General Assembly and Conference on ...
Welcome to the 31st IUBS General Assembly and Conference on ...
Welcome to the 31st IUBS General Assembly and Conference on ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
overexpressing mutated KRT75 in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fea<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r follicles<br />
indeed affects <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> fea<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r structure.<br />
dem<strong>on</strong>strated extraordinary adaptive<br />
resilience <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> envir<strong>on</strong>mental change<br />
Bacterial cellulosomes for efficient<br />
degradati<strong>on</strong> of lignocelluloses<br />
Edward BAYER<br />
Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute, 26 Herzl St. Rehovot,<br />
Israel. Email: ed.bayer@weizmann.ac.il<br />
Cellulose is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most abundant comp<strong>on</strong>ent of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> plant<br />
cell wall <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> thus <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most abundant renewable organic<br />
material <strong>on</strong> our planet. Its l<strong>on</strong>g rod‐like microfibrils are<br />
embedded in<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> colloidal hemicellulose matrix, which<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tains o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r types of plant cell wall polysaccharides. In<br />
nature, cellulose assumes a structural, ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r than a<br />
s<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g>rage role, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> its glucose residues are ‘locked’ in place,<br />
virtually inaccessible <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> organisms that would avail<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>mselves of its use as an excellent food source.<br />
Although plants aspire <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> protect <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> cellulose, nature has<br />
provided ample corps of microorganisms (bacteria <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
fungi) that can cope with decaying cellulosic matter. They<br />
do so by virtue of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir cellulolytic enzymes, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> cellulases<br />
that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y produce. Aerobic fungi <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> bacteria tend <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
produce large amounts of cellulases <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> hemicellulases<br />
that <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g>ge<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r act synergistically in decompositi<strong>on</strong> of plant<br />
polysaccharides <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir comp<strong>on</strong>ent soluble sugars. In<br />
c<strong>on</strong>trast, some prominent anaerobic bacteria achieve<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir renowned potent cellulolytic properties by<br />
fabricating multi‐enzyme cellulosome complexes, which<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tain numerous cellulases, hemicellulases <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
associated enzymes, attached <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> bacterial cell surface,<br />
thus enabling efficient degradati<strong>on</strong> of cellulosic substrates.<br />
Recent work has centered <strong>on</strong> dismantling <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> cellulosome<br />
in<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> its comp<strong>on</strong>ent parts <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> reassembling <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m in<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
‘designer cellulosomes’ of precise c<strong>on</strong>tent <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
c<strong>on</strong>figurati<strong>on</strong>. The designer cellulosome approach shows<br />
promise for underst<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>ing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> rati<strong>on</strong>ale behind its<br />
catalytic efficiency, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge gained from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se<br />
studies may provide <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> basis for creating improved<br />
designer cellulosomes for c<strong>on</strong>versi<strong>on</strong> of plant‐derived<br />
biomass in<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> liquid biofuels – a goal of major global<br />
importance in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 21st century.<br />
Barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica):<br />
tenacious opportunists who have<br />
John BUCKERIDGE<br />
School of Civil Engineering <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Chemical Engineer RMIT<br />
University, Australia. Email: john.buckeridge@rmit.edu.au<br />
Cirripede‐like organisms have <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir origins in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Palaeozoic, but until <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Cainozoic, were represented<br />
primarily by pedunculated forms such as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Scalpelliformes. Acorn barnacles (Balanomorpha) are<br />
first recorded after <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Cretaceous - Tertiary<br />
extincti<strong>on</strong> event. During <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> late Palaeogene, rapid<br />
radiati<strong>on</strong> of cirripedes resulted in sufficient<br />
diversificati<strong>on</strong> for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> occupy most marine<br />
envir<strong>on</strong>ments. That <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y survived both <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Pleis<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g>cene glaciati<strong>on</strong> is testament <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir ability <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
rapidly adapt <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> opportunities. The distributi<strong>on</strong> of<br />
balanomorphs in particular is unparalleled; <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y are<br />
known from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> upper lit<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g>ral (Chthamalus) <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
depths of 3600 m (Tetrachaelasma) <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> within this<br />
attached <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> rock, wood <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> miscellaneous flotsam,<br />
plus in symbiosis or commensalism with larger<br />
marine organisms. Darwin’s (1854) view of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Tertiary as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> age of barnacles is reflected in this<br />
diversity, distributi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> biomass. All cirripedes are<br />
n<strong>on</strong>e<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>less at risk, from rapid habitat change,<br />
competiti<strong>on</strong>, polluti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>, especially in light of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir<br />
sessile habit, from predati<strong>on</strong>. This paper assesses <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
viability of a number of cirripedes <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> determines<br />
which are most likely <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> survive following rapid<br />
envir<strong>on</strong>mental change.<br />
Biodiversity informati<strong>on</strong> infrastructure for<br />
research, educati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> in<br />
China<br />
Keping MA<br />
Institute of Botany, CAS, Beijing, China 100093. Email:<br />
kpma@ibcas.ac.cn<br />
Capacity‐building Strategy for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Global Tax<strong>on</strong>omy<br />
Initiative is <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> develop <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> human resources <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
infrastructure necessary <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> generate, disseminate <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
40