"ENHANCED DEGRADATION OF CELLULOSE BY USE OF EXPANSIN IN COMBINATION WITH CELLULASES"

Inventor: D. J. Cosgrove

PSU Inv. Disc. No. 98-2010

Licensing Contact: Matthew D. Smith

Expansin are proteins previously shown to cause loosening and extension of plant cell walls. In the course of our studies of how expansin affects plant cell walls, we discovered that it can significantly enhance both the rate and total amount of degradation cellulose by hydrolytic enzymes. This disclosure details these results, showing that expansin treatment of cellulose can double the end point degradation of cellulose by commercial cellulases. This invention could have significant commercial utility for processes requiring the breakdown or derivitization of cellulose, e.g. for biofuel production or chemical modification of cellulose.