8th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Kaitlyn Mizelle
Title: Recombinant Expression of Putative Lignin Degrading Enzyme from Paenibacillus glucanolyticus
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Stephanie Mathews , Biology

Lignin is a molecule that is a major structural component of plant cell walls. Paenibacillus glucanolyticus is a bacterium known to have the ability to degrade lignin. The aim of this study is to characterize the enzymes that are involved. One gene, Pglu4534, is a gene that has homology to fungal oxidase enzymes involved in the breakdown of lignin. We hypothesized that this gene may contribute to the ability of P. glucanolyticus to degrade lignin. PCR, digestion, ligation, and transformation were used to confirm cloning. Future work will focus on the recombinant expression and characterization of this enzyme to determine its role in lignin degradation.