Elizabeth E Hood
Arkansas State University, USA Infinite Enzymes, LLC, USA
Title: Production of industrial enzymes in maize
Biography
Biography: Elizabeth E Hood
Abstract
Industrial enzymes are excellent technologies to apply in manufacturing to alleviate environmental pollution. Using plant-based materials allows manufacturing of goods from renewable resources. My laboratory and company are engaged in producing enzymes for industrial applications using the plant seed system. The advantages of the seed system are that the production costs can be quite low because scaling-up just involves planting more acres, the seed can be stored for years, and the enzymes are extremely stable in the seed. We use maize grain to express enzyme genes from fungal and bacterial sources that have specific applications in biofuels, bioproducts and waste water remediation. Genes for these enzymes are partially codon optimized and their expression is driven by either an embryo or an endosperm promoter and targeted to one of three subcellular locations—the cell wall, the endoplasmic reticulum or the vacuole. Expressed enzymes include three cellulases, a phospholipase, a Mn peroxidase, and a laccase. Once the gene is expressed and a high-expressing event chosen, breeding into elite inbred germplasm commences. Applications of the various enzymes will be discussed along with regulatory considerations