Researchers seeking to improve production of ethanol from
woody crops have a new resource in the form of an extensive molecular map of
poplar tree proteins, published by a team from the Department of Energy's Oak
Ridge National Laboratory.
Populus, a fast-growing perennial tree, holds potential as a
bioenergy crop due to its ability to produce large amounts of biomass on
non-agricultural land. Now, a study by ORNL scientists with the Department of
Energy's BioEnergy Science Center has provided the most comprehensive look to
date at poplar's proteome, the suite of proteins produced by a plant's cells.
The study is featured on the cover of January's Molecular and Cellular
Proteomics.