Production of Chloroplast-Derived Xylanases

Plant chloroplast genetic engineering can utilize transgenic crops to express different enzymes from bacteria or fungi for the production of feedstocks for biofuels. Lifeasible has successfully developed a variety of reliable and economical solutions for chloroplast engineering of biofuels enzymes. Our engineers are focused on developing xylanases for the biofuel industry that facilitate saccharification of biomass as well as other cell wall degradation.

Introduction

Xylan is the major carbohydrate in the hemicellulose portion of plant cell walls. Xylanases can hydrolyze the linear polysaccharides of bis-β-1,4-xylan into xylose monomers and promote cellulose degradation. Therefore, xylanases are widely used in industries such as fiber, paper, baking, brewing and animal feed industries. Although xylanases have several uses, they are not routinely used due to their high production costs. The high cost of xylanases for biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass is a key factor affecting the economic sustainability of the process. The use of plant systems to produce suitable recombinant enzymes is an ideal alternative to microbial fermentation. Expression of xylanase by nuclear transformation in plants fails due to cell wall degradation. However, integration of the xynA gene into the tobacco chloroplast genome resulted in xylanase accumulation up to 6% tsp.

Fig. 1. Xylanase as a greener tool in different industries. (Bhardwaj N, et al., 2019)

Solutions

Chloroplast transformation is a promising technique to obtain high levels of lignocellulolytic enzymes with environmental and biotechnological implications. We have successfully applied chloroplast transformation technology to the development of xylanase. Lifeasible is committed to utilizing the xynA gene expressed in tobacco chloroplasts to synthesize xylanase. We can help customers express xylanase genes in plants through nuclear and plastid transformation, and enhance the accumulation of xylanase in tobacco chloroplasts through the following strategies.

• Photosynthetic performance of transplastid plants.
• Enzyme stability during plant growth.
• Enzyme stability in vitro and during storage.

Our engineers used chloroplast genetic engineering to express a chimeric gene for alkali thermostable xylanase (BSX) at high levels in tobacco chloroplasts to improve the saccharification process of cellulosic biomass, release pentose sugars from hemicellulose, and promote fiber element degradation. Our goal is to help you realize the application of xylanase in the biofuel industry.

• In the textile industry, xylanase is used to target hemicellulose impurities to improve the adsorption and whiteness of textile fabrics.
• In the paper industry, xylanase is used for pulp biobleaching to reduce the use of environmentally unfriendly chlorine gas, and for plant stain removal.
• The addition of xylanase can improve the digestibility of animal feed and improve nutrient utilization, thereby reducing the feed conversion ratio.
• Xylanase is used in the bread industry and in human digestive tablets.

Attractive Advantages of Our Solutions

• Large-scale and sustainable production of xylanase using plant systems.
• Chloroplast-derived xylanase enzymes have the same biological activity as bacterially produced enzymes in the pH range of 6-11.
• Chloroplast-derived xylanases retain substrate specificity.
• Chloroplast-derived xylanases are thermostable.
• Xylanase is highly expressed in the chloroplast genome and is economically feasible.

Lifeasible is committed to providing customers around the world with fully customized chloroplast engineered solutions for xylanases production. Please contact us to discuss further details to ensure your next success.

References

1. Bhardwaj N, Kumar B, Verma P. (2019) A detailed overview of xylanases: an emerging biomolecule for current and future prospective[J]. Bioresources and Bioprocessing. 6(1): 1-36.
2. Pantaleoni L, Longoni P, Ferroni L, et al. (2014) Chloroplast molecular farming: efficient production of a thermostable xylanase by Nicotiana tabacum plants and long-term conservation of the recombinant enzyme[J]. Protoplasma. 251(3): 639-648.