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The enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass is an attractive route to bio-based substitutes for fossil-fuel compounds as it can mobilize highly-selective enzymes in "soft chemistry" processes. However, if not pretreated, the lignocellulosic cell walls often prove recalcitrant to enzymatic digestion. An ambitious strategy coupling microscopy imaging with the SOLEIL Synchrotron's deep-UV and infrared sources made it possible to track the action of cellulases on lignocellulosic biomass in real-time. These innovative approaches applied to commercial cellulases and grass stems make it possible not only to monitor the dynamics of wall deconstruction at the microscopic scale but also to visualize contrasting levels of recalcitrance according to cell types in relation to the nature of enzymatic cocktails.

Partnership

Synhrotron SOLEIL (lignes DISCO and SMIS), BBFMarseille

Publications

Chabbert B, Habrant A, Herbaut M, Foulon L, Aguié-Béghin V, Garajova S, Grisel S, Bennati-Granier C, Gimbert-Herpoël I, Jamme F, Réfrégiers M, Sandt C, Berrin JG, Paës G. (2017) Action of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase on plant tissue is governed by cellular type. Scientific Reports, 7, 17792. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17938-2

Devaux M F, Jamme F, Andre W, Bouchet B, Alvarado C, Durand S, Robert P, Saulnier L, Bonnin E,  Guillon F (2018) Synchrotron Time-Lapse Imaging of Lignocellulosic Biomass Hydrolysis: Tracking Enzyme Localization by Protein Autofluorescence and Biochemical Modification of Cell Walls by Microfluidic Infrared Microspectroscopy. Frontiers in Plant Science 9. DOI : 10.3389/fpls.2018.00200