Collaboration at JBEI Identifies the First Enzyme Linked to
Galactan Synthesis
Galactan is a polymer of galactose, a six-carbon sugar that
can be readily fermented by yeast into ethanol and is a target of interest for
researchers in advanced biofuels produced from cellulosic biomass. Now an
international collaboration led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has identified the first enzyme capable
of substantially boosting the amount of galactan in plant cell walls.