Nanomachines

The climate emergency compels us to shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to a sustainable energy mix, facilitating a transition from carbon-intensive societies to more environmentally friendly economies. In this context, the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is at the heart of developing the circular bioeconomy.

The goal of the Nanomachines project is focused on developing enzymatic systems for the controlled degradation of lignocellulosic biomass. The work undertaken in this project aims to address the fundamental question of the mechanism behind these enzymatic synergies during LCB degradation and to bridge the gap between enzyme characterization and the design of enzymatic cocktails adaptable to different biomasses. This project will consider the main enzymes involved in LCB deconstruction, namely glycoside hydrolases, carbohydrate esterases, and auxiliary enzymes.

Project objectives

Explore natural diversity:

Explore natural diversity from specific databases and partner collections through large-scale in silico and experimental exploration. Three major classes of enzymes will be explored: glycoside hydrolases, carbohydrate esterases, and oxidoreductases.

Characterize new biocatalysts:

Produce and validate enzymatic activities assessed on agricultural residues (approx. 100 enzymes/class) and select 20 enzymes per class.

Identify the most relevant enzyme associations:

Conduct combinatorial analysis with the three enzyme classes and characterize the hydrolysis products of these combinations (sequence, structure, function analysis) and train a machine learning program to propose the most relevant enzyme combinations.

Construct enzymatic assemblies (Nanomachines):

1. Utilize the JO-IN molecular tool for controlled enzyme assembly.
2. Perform structural and functional characterizations of the nanomachines.
3. Evaluate on industrial substrates.

Project lifetime:
 

April 2023 - April 2028

Scientific manager:
 

Claire Dumon (INSA Toulouse)

The consortium:
 

Higher education establishments

Research institutes