Among the most pressing issues facing society today is the need to transition from dependence on fossil fuels to alternative renewable fuel sources. Alcohol derived from a plant material called cellulose is considered to be one such alternative. Cellulose, a major component of woody and leafy plants, is one of the most abundant biomaterials on earth and constitutes a major potential source of renewable energy. However, to take advantage of this energy, efficient enzyme systems must be identified that can convert cellulose to its component sugars and then to alcohol. Shipworms are wormlike wood boring marine clams that contain such enzyme systems. Shipworms are the only marine animals that are known to grow and reproduce normally with wood as their sole food source. This unusual ability may be due, at least in part, to their association with a consortium of intracellular symbiotic bacteria. These symbionts are thought to provide shipworms with enzymes that aid in wood digestion. The purpose of this research project is to use advanced methods of genomics, proteomics and imaging to 1) uncover the physiological and enzymatic systems that allow shipworms to thrive on this unusual diet, 2) reproduce these enzymes in the laboratory, and 3) evaluate qualities of these enzymes that may be useful for development of commercial cellulosic alcohol production. The research will also help to broaden scientific understanding of beneficial interactions between bacteria and animals. The project will result in the training of one postdoctoral research scientist, as well as several high school and college level interns through the Ocean Genome Legacy's active educational outreach programs.
