KTH School of Biotechnology
Department of Wood Biotechnology
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Head of Department: Prof. Tuula Teeri
June2006
Royal Institute of Technology
AlbaNova University Center
SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden
www.biotech.kth.se
The mission of the Department of Wood Biotechnology is to develop biotechnological tools for plant fibre
modification and exploitation in high performance biomaterials. Our research focuses on the
biochemistry, chemistry and enzymology of wood formation and modifiation. The department is host for a
strategic research center, BIOMIME (http://www.biotech.kth.se/biomime/).
Enzyme discovery.
Plant cell walls are important raw materials for many
industries, but their biosynthesis is poorly understood. By
using functional genomics we have identified over 200
enzymes and other proteins involved in wood formation in
poplar (1). These include key enzymes involved in cellulose
and hemicellulose biosynthesis and remodelling.
Cellulose biosynthesis.
Cellulose is synthesized in plant cell walls by large
membrane-bound protein complexes. Our genomic studies
indicate that poplar trees have at least 18 genes encoding
the catalytic subunits of cellulose synthases (2). We use
plant cell cultures, in vitro carbohydrate synthesis and
product characterization to investigate the molecular
mechanisms of cellulose and callose biosynthesis (3, 4).
Proteomic approaches are used to identify the key proteins
involved in these processes (5).
Protein structure-function.
The main objective of our efforts in structural biology and
mechanistic enzymology is to investigate the structural basis
of plant polymer biosynthesis, degradation and metabolism.
The key enzymes targeted include e.g. xyloglucan
endotransglycosylases (XET)(6), pectin methyl esterases
(PME), plant and microbial cellulases, and pyranose oxidases
(7).
Research Groups
Prof. Tuula Teeri (Tuula@biotech.kth.se)
Wood Biotechnology
2 scientists and 6 graduate students
Prof. Vincent Bulone (Vincent.Bulone@biotech.kth.se)
Plant Glycobiology
2 graduate students
Dr Harry Brumer (Harry@biotech.kth.se)
Enzymology
1 scientist and 3 graduate students
Dr Christina Divne (Divne@biotech.kth.se)
Structural Biochemistry
1 Post-doc and 1 graduate student
Dr Ines Ezcurra (Ines@biotech.kth.se)
Plant Molecular Biology
1 post-doc and 1 graduate student
Dr Qi Zhou (Qi@kth.se)
Carbohydrate technology
Funding:
VR, VINNOVA, Formas, Wallenberg Foundation,
SSF, Industry, KTH
Chemo-enzymatic fibre modification.
Xyloglucan is a plant polymer with high affinity to
cellulose. XET is an enzyme that can join short
xyloglucan oligosaccharides to xyloglucan. The
oligosaccharides can be chemically modified to desired
functionality and joined to polymeric xyloglucan by the
XET reaction. The modified xyloglucan binds to
cellulose surfaces and acts as an anchor for the new
chemistry. This offers a route for a versatile chemical
modification of cellulose surfaces (8). The technology
can be used e.g. to improve the interfacial stability
between the naturally hydrophilic plant fibers and the
hydrophobic matrix polymers in fiber reinforced
biocomposite materials (9).
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
1. Aspeborg et al 2005. Plant Physiol. 137:983-97.
2. Djerbi et al 2005. Planta 221:739-46.
3. Ohlsson et al 2006. Protoplasma Jul 17[Epub ahead of print]
4. Lai Kee Him et al 2002. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 36931-36939.
5. Bouzenzana et al 2006. Mol. Microbiol. In press.
6. Johansson et al 2004. Plant Cell, 16: 874-886.
7. Hallberg et al 2004. J. Mol. Biol. 341: 781-796.
8. Brumer et al 2004. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126:5715-5721.
9. Zhou et al 2005. Macromolecules 38, 3547-3549.
Collaborations:
FuncFibre, BiMaC,
WURC
Centra: BIOMIME (SSF)