HOTZYME

Systematic screening for novel hydrolases from hot environments

Coordinatore	KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET    more  Organization address postcode: 1017 contact info Titolo: Mr. Nome: Ivan Cognome: Kristoffersen Email: send email Telefono: +45 35322626 Fax: +45 35324612
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Denmark [DK]
Totale costo	7˙740˙992 €
EC contributo	5˙518˙544 €
Programma	FP7-KBBE Specific Programme "Cooperation": Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
Code Call	FP7-KBBE-2010-4
Funding Scheme	CP-IP
Anno di inizio	2011
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2011-04-01   -   2015-03-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET	DK	coordinator	1˙207˙873.00
2	THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER  Organization address address: Northcote House, The Queen's Drive city: EXETER postcode: EX4 4QJ contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Clarke Cognome: Enda Email: send email Telefono: +44 0 139 22 63744 Fax: +44 0 1392 263686	UK (EXETER)	participant	465˙516.00
3	MICRODISH BV  Organization address address: HAZENAKKER 18 city: HOUTEN postcode: 3994 EJ contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Martin Cognome: Hessing Email: send email Telefono: +31 30 6343160 Fax: +31 30 6343161	NL (HOUTEN)	participant	464˙160.00
4	EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR RESEARCH & FINANCING LTD  Organization address address: HAMARVA STREET 15 city: BINYAMINA postcode: 30500 contact info Titolo: Prof. Nome: Zohar Cognome: Ben-Asher Email: send email Telefono: +972 3 6202255	IL (BINYAMINA)	participant	452˙000.00
5	NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS - NTUA  Organization address address: HEROON POLYTECHNIOU 9 ZOGRAPHOU CAMPUS city: ATHINA postcode: 15780 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Mertzelou Cognome: Georgia Email: send email Telefono: 302108000000 Fax: 302108000000	EL (ATHINA)	participant	403˙800.00
6	STIFTELSEN NORGES GEOTEKNISKEINSTITUTT  Organization address address: Sognsveien 72 city: OSLO postcode: N-0855 contact info Titolo: Mr. Nome: Robert Cognome: Nakken Email: send email Telefono: +47 22023114 Fax: +47 22230448	NO (OSLO)	participant	400˙943.00
7	NOVOZYMES A/S  Organization address address: Krogshoejvej 36 city: BAGSVAERD postcode: 2880 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Nina Cognome: Eckert Busgaard Email: send email Telefono: +45 44460794 Fax: +45 44469999	DK (BAGSVAERD)	participant	396˙032.00
8	WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY  Organization address address: DROEVENDAALSESTEEG 4 city: WAGENINGEN postcode: 6708 PB contact info Titolo: Mr. Nome: Tom Cognome: Bessems Email: send email Telefono: +31 317 484478 Fax: +31 317 481032	NL (WAGENINGEN)	participant	366˙220.00
9	S.N. WINOGRADSKY INSTITUTE OF MICROBIOLOGY OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES  Organization address address: PROSPEKT 60 LETIYA OKTYABRYA 7/2 city: MOSKVA postcode: 117312 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Elizaveta Cognome: Bonch-Osmolovskaya Email: send email Telefono: 74991354458 Fax: +7 4991356530	RU (MOSKVA)	participant	350˙000.00
10	Montana State University Bozeman  Organization address address: Montana Hall 309 city: Bozeman postcode: 59717 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Susan Cognome: Couch Email: send email Telefono: +001 1406 994 2080 Fax: +001 1406 994 5117	US (Bozeman)	participant	304˙000.00
11	CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE  Organization address address: Piazzale Aldo Moro 7 city: ROMA postcode: 185 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Sergio Cognome: Riva Email: send email Telefono: 390229000000 Fax: 390229000000	IT (ROMA)	participant	300˙000.00
12	SIGMA-ALDRICH PRODUCTION GMBH  Organization address address: INDUSTRIESTRASSE 25 city: BUCHS postcode: 9470 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Roland Cognome: Wohlgemuth Email: send email Telefono: +41 817552640 Fax: +41 817552640	CH (BUCHS)	participant	210˙000.00
13	UNIVERSITAET DUISBURG-ESSEN  Organization address address: UNIVERSITAETSSTRASSE 2 city: ESSEN postcode: 45141 contact info Titolo: Ms. Nome: Sandra Cognome: Kramm Email: send email Telefono: +49 203 3792661 Fax: +49 203 3791216	DE (ESSEN)	participant	198˙000.00

Mappa

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'There is a strong need for new thermostable hydrolases with appropriate performance and/or novel functionalities that could provide huge savings in time, money and energy for industrial processes. The HotZyme project aims to identify such enzymes from hot terrestial environments, using metagenomic screening methods. New bioinfomatic tools will be developed to facilitate function prediction of genes from metagenomes that show low or no sequence homology to enzymes of known function. A range of high-throughput screening technologies will be employed to identify novel hydrolases. The consortium is composed of 13 partners from 10 European countries plus one partner from USA. The strong expertise in Microbiology, Moleculary Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Geochemistry, Nanotechnology and Bioinformatics from our partners will be integrated in the project to ensure the fulfilment of the proposed tasks. Importantly, the five industrial partners, including three SMEs, will seek to commercialize the project results, thus ensuring a European wide impact, post project.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

New biotechnological advances are prompting the need to harness enzymes with novel functions for catalytic reactions. In particular, there is an increased demand for thermostable enzymes for use in bioethanol production, and pulp and starch processing.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Catalysis plays an important role in many industrial processes, speeding the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering the energy required for the reaction to take place. Enzymes are a promising 'green' alternative to synthetic chemicals, yet very few are produced industrially. Finding or generating enzymes stable at the very high temperatures required of many industrial processes would have broad-reaching benefits. The search for heat-resistant enzymes provided the impetus for the EU-funded project 'Systematic screening for novel hydrolases from hot environments' (http://hotzyme.com/ (HOTZYME)).

Project scientists are using used state-of-the-art metagenomics screening methods. Predicting protein function as opposed to sequence screening allows functional screening of the collective genomes of microbes in their natural environments. The gene pool of interest comes from microbes living in hot terrestrial environments and the search is on for hydrolases. These enzymes catalyse hydrolysis, the splitting of a molecule through the addition of hydrogen and hydroxyl groups.

Researchers reported new findings regarding the promising enzymatic degradation activity of some isolates recovered from hot environments. These include isolation of a Thermus strain capable of degrading xylan at high temperatures and a thermoanaerobacter that shows resistance to epoxide. Two additional metagenomes were obtained from environmental sampling.

Other project achievements include the development of protein classifiers and a tracking system for samples, strains and libraries. Scientists developed different screening methods for rapid screening of lactonase and hydrolase enzymes. These enzymes were cloned and characterised for their substrate specificity and functional activity. In addition, eight expression libraries have been constructed and subjected to functional screening for novel hydrolases.

The expected final results include patenting of novel cellulases, xylases, xanthan gum degrading enzymes, and organisms with interesting polymer degradation characteristics.

HOTZYME findings should bridge the knowledge gap regarding the existence of more efficient enzymes at high temperatures than those produced by fungi to carry out cellulose hydrolysis. Important applications include bioethanol production from biomass conversion, offering significant environmental benefits compared to fossil fuels in terms of greenhouse gases.