This chapter reviews the importance and application of proteomics tools for
studying bioenergy crops and microorganisms employed in sugar fermentation and/or
degradation of cell wall compounds. The large volume of information from genome
sequencing projects has allowed the development of many new platforms for profiling
each step of the genetic information flow from DNA to protein to many molecular
interactions involved in phenotype determination. In this context, proteomics is a
comprehensive package of tools dedicated to identifying and characterizing protein
expression in different biological systems. In this article, the application of proteomics
in bioenergy production from feedstock is summarized, citing studies associated with
the reduction of lignocellulose biomass recalcitrance and the discovery of more
efficient enzymes for cell wall disruption and of potent microorganisms for sugar
fermentation.
Keywords: Bioenergy, Biofuel, Biomass, Enzymes, Feedstock, Lignocellulose,
Lignin, Maize, Mass spectrometry, Microorganisms, Oil, Proteomics, Proteome,
Renewable, Saccharification, Subcellular, Sugarcane, Sorghum, Trees, 2D gel
electrophoresis.
