Biodegradation of cellulose plays a key role in the global carbon cycle. In nature, cellulases secreted by microbial communities disassemble cellulosic materials, mainly the plant cell walls, producing simple sugars that can be used as food source for life. Our research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for effective deconstruction of the plant cell walls by different cellulases systems. Integrated microscopic systems, including single molecular spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and coherent Raman scattering microscopy, are employed to directly visualize the interaction between cellulases and cellulose, and the structural changes of the plant cell walls in real-time during degradation. In this paper, I will discuss some widely-proposed factors that affect cellulases efficiency, and I will also discuss some technical challenges of using microscopic tools in such complex biological system.

Mechanistic understanding of cellulose biodegradation using integrated microscopic systems

247th National Meeting (2014)

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