Generic placeholder image

Current Proteomics

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1570-1646
ISSN (Online): 1875-6247

The Role of Proteomics in the Development of Cellulosic Biofuels

Author(s): Jun Ito, Christopher J. Petzold, Aindrila Mukhopadhyay and Joshua L. Heazlewood

Volume 7, Issue 2, 2010

Page: [121 - 134] Pages: 14

DOI: 10.2174/157016410791330543

Price: $65

Abstract

Global demand on energy combined with dwindling fuel reserves has led to record fuel prices around the world and resulted in a concerted effort to identify alternate and sustainable fuel supplies. One such alternative is to produce cellulosic biofuels through the conversion of complex sugars found in plant cell walls (plant biomass) into fuels. While the synthesis of cellulosic biofuels is currently an achievable technology, associated production costs due to biomass recalcitrance, sugar composition and ineffectual conversion make their production impractical. In order to overcome these issues significant research will be required in areas ranging from plant cell wall biosynthesis, microbial host metabolism and tolerance that enable targeted engineering of these systems. Proteomics will play a central role in implementing this strategy by identifying new targets for biofuel crop engineering, analyzing engineered biochemical pathways and characterizing plant cell wall biosynthesis. This review will examine the current use of proteomics to fast-track cellulosic biofuel production and evaluate the potential of this technology to provide significant breakthroughs in this area.

Keywords: Biofuels, synthetic biology, feedstocks, targeted proteomics, bioenergy


Rights & Permissions Print Cite
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy