November 16, 2017
Inside cows, goats, and other ruminants, fungal enzymes break down plant matter and extract nutrients. These enzymes essentially overcome a major bottleneck in biofuel production: breaking down lignocellulose—the primary building block of plant cell walls. The parts, assembly, and diverse roles of fungal enzyme complexes, called cellulosomes, have not been clearly defined. Until now. This study offers insights into the structure and function of fungal cellulosomes. In doing so, it shows that cellulosomes are evolutionary chimaeras that co-opted parts of enzymes from bacteria that are also found in the gut.