Dedicated to Decay - How Wood-Decay Fungi Unravel the Fabric of Life - CANCELED

The bulk of biomass on Earth is plant material. Plant cell walls are composed in large part of cellulose and hemicellulose, making them the most abundant carbohydrates on Earth. In the process of decomposition, wood-decay fungi such as Laetiporus, Pleurotus and others, produce cellulolytic enzymes capable of breaking down these carbohydrates to simple sugars for metabolism. Cellulose and hemicellulose in wood cell walls are accompanied by lignin, a more chemically complex, polyphenolic compound. It adds rigidity and strength to the wall, and also serves to protect the carbohydrates from attack by cellulolytic enzymes. Wood-decay fungi have evolved lignolytic enzymes and a variety of other complex yet elegant methods to oxidize, demethylate and/or depolymerize lignin, giving them access to their carbohydrate food source. Bob Cummings

Speaker: Bob Cummings, Santa Barbara City College, Emeritus