People - US Forest Service Research & Development

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Research Highlights


*Publication Year: 2020*
Highlight ID: 1643	Gene Conservation Among Lignocellulose-Degrading Fungi By examining the number, structure, and expression of fungal genes an international team of researchers have demonstrated conserved mechanisms of lignocellulose deconstruction. ...

*Publication Year: 2019*
Highlight ID: 1335	Patterns of Gene Expression Provide Insight into Wood Decay Mechanisms Comparative examination of gene regulation reveal significant differences among brown rot fungi when colonizing different wood species. ...

*Publication Year: 2017*
Highlight ID: 1296	Enzymatic conversion of xylan into valuable products. Xylan represents a vast store of potential value but rather than seeing beneficial use, much of this reservoir is lost in catastrophic wildfires that result in significant property loss and tragic los ...
Highlight ID: 1295	Genetic basis of lignocellulose degradation Exploiting the recent availability of fungal genomes, Forest Service researchers have developed computational approaches for the identification of key wood decay enzymes. ...

*Publication Year: 2016*
Highlight ID: 663	Characterization of Microbial Biocatalysts in Lignocellulosic Utilization Bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass would benefit from development of second generation bacterial biocatalysts. The bacterium Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR2, originally isolated from decaying swee ...
Highlight ID: 662	Development of Enzymes for use in Lignocellulose Processing The ultimate best use of lignocellulose allows for the selective extraction of defined value streams. To facilitate this, Forest Service research strives to develop new enzymes with unique capabilitie ...
Highlight ID: 665	Fungi Use Multiple Strategies for Deconstruction of Woody Biomass A diverse array of enzymes catalyze the bioconversion of wood toward biofuels and other high-value products. ...
Highlight ID: 653	Improving the Hydrolysis and Fibrillation of Wood Into Cellulose Nanomaterials Cellulose nanomaterials have been receiving an increasing amount of interest from both the scientific and industrial communities because of their interesting properties, including good strength, absor ...

*Publication Year: 2015*
Highlight ID: 618	How Does Wood Decay Start? How do fungi rot wood? Using new tools, fluorescent dye attached to tiny beads, and laser confocal microscopy, Forest Service scientists were able to follow oxidation on a microscopic level. The infor ...
Highlight ID: 620	Imaging Wood Chemicals in Three Dimensions For the first time, chemicals in wood were visualized in 3-dimensions. This advance in chemical analysis will help clarify scientists' understanding of wood architecture, strength properties, durabili ...
Highlight ID: 613	Protein Structure and Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Functioning Xylanase Scientists identified and characterized a xylanase with unique function that may have applications in processing of woody biomass substrate. ...

*Publication Year: 2013*
Highlight ID: 445	Common Button Mushroom Studied for Key Role in Recycling Carbon Recent genome studies of Agaricus reveal specialized adaptations to litter- and soil-rich environments which may be used to remediate contaminated soils. ...
Highlight ID: 437	Enzyme Combo Results in Bioplastics Composite Developing bioplastics as a means of moving away from non-renewable, petroleum-based products has many economic and environmental benefits. Researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory recently devel ...
Highlight ID: 446	Research Demystifies Wood Decaying Fungi Newly sequenced fungal genomes provide insight into the enzymatic conversion of wood into high value products. ...
Highlight ID: 452	Researchers Determine the Structure of Bacterial Protein Involved in Biomass Conversion Researchers structurally characterized a bacterial protein involved in biomass degradation. The knowledge obtained from this novel protein suggest that it may function better than comparable enzymes i ...

*Publication Year: 2012*
Highlight ID: 9	Hidden Lives of Wood Decay Fungi Uncovered by Genome Sequencing The decoded genomes of 12 species reveal a complex repertoire of proteins involved in the deconstruction of key polymers within wood cell walls ...
Highlight ID: 11	Novel Yeast Makes Bioconversion Faster and Less Expensive Faster, cheaper biofuel production is possible for commercial use ...

*Publication Year: 2010*
Highlight ID: 178	Fast Forward' Genetics for Renewable Fuels Researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory used mutagenesis, strain selection and genetic manipulation over a period of seven years to develop improved strains of yeasts that will produce renewable ...
Highlight ID: 176	Water, Air, and Soil Forest fungi perform an essential role in recycling woody plant debris and have many potential applications in biotechnology. In 2009, a Forest Products Laboratory chemist worked for ten months as a S ...

Team Members

Name	Job Title	Phone
Crooks, M.E. Casey view profile »	Research Microbiologist	608-231-9251
Cullen, Daniel view profile »	Research Microbiologist	608-231-9468
Kersten, Philip J. view profile »	Research Microbiologist	608-231-9470
Mozuch, Michael view profile »	Chemist	608-231-9469
St. John, Franz view profile »	Research Microbiologist	608-231-9438

Products (Publications & Patents)

Publication Year	Title	Date Posted
Below are the 50 most recent products author or co-authored by researchers of this unit that have been posted, sorted by publication year and title. To access the complete repository of FPL products, click here.
2021	A New Subfamily of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 30 with Strict Xylobiohydrolase Function	09/14/21

2021	Omics analyses and biochemical study of Phlebiopsis gigantea elucidate its degradation strategy of wood extractives	07/13/21

2021	Repurposing Inflatable Packaging Pillows as Bioreactors: a Convenient Synthesis of Glucosone by Whole-Cell Catalysis Under Oxygen	09/02/21

2021	The characteristics of insoluble softwood substrates affect fungal morphology, secretome composition, and hydrolytic efficiency of enzymes produced by Trichoderma reesei	06/26/21

2020	CaXyn30B from the solventogenic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum is a glucuronic acid-dependent endoxylanase	09/18/20

2020	Characterization and functional analysis of two novel thermotolerant α-l-arabinofuranosidases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 51 from Thielavia terrestris and family 62 from Eupenicillium parvum	01/08/21

2020	Conserved white-rot enzymatic mechanism for wood decay in the Basidiomycota genus Pycnoporus	09/04/20

2020	Genomic Analysis Enlightens Agaricales Lifestyle Evolution and Increasing Peroxidase Diversity	10/07/21

2020	Identifying transcription factors that reduce wood recalcitrance and improve enzymatic degradation of xylem cell wall in Populus	10/07/21

2020	Kinetic characterization and structure analysis of an altered polyol dehydrogenase with d ‐lactate dehydrogenase activity	01/06/21

2020	Lignin lags, leads, or limits the decomposition of litter and soil organic carbon	10/02/20

2020	Mechanism of extractive degradation by Phlebiopsis gigantea	09/30/20

2019	Enrichment of lignin-derived carbon in mineral-associated soil organic matter	05/28/20

2019	Evolution of substrate-specific gene expression and RNA editing in brown rot wood-decaying fungi	10/01/19

2019	The foliar endophyte Phialocephala scopiformis DAOMC 229536 proteome when grown on wood used as the sole carbon source	10/01/19

2019	Xylanase pretreatment of wood fibers for producing cellulose nanofibrils: a comparison of different enzyme preparations	09/05/19

2018	A plasmid borne, functionally novel glycoside hydrolase family 30 subfamily 8 endoxylanase from solventogenic Clostridium	12/20/18

2018	Draft genome sequence of Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 17759, a polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate copolymer-producing bacterium	10/01/18

2018	Fungal lignin peroxidase does not produce the veratryl alcohol cation radical as a diffusible ligninolytic oxidant	07/26/18

2018	Multi-omic analyses of extensively decayed Pinus contorta reveal expression of a diverse array of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes	10/02/18

2018	Substrate-specific differential gene expression and RNA editing in the brown rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola	09/28/18

2017	An optical method for carbon dioxide isotopes and mole fractions in small gas samples: tracing microbial respiration from soil, litter, and lignin.	10/05/17

2017	Draft genome sequence of a monokaryotic model brown-rot fungus Postia (Rhodonia) placenta SB12	09/06/17

2017	Exploring the hypothesis that limiting diffusion of fungal oxidants underlies decay resistance in acetylated wood	10/06/17

2017	GH115 α-glucuronidase and GH11 xylanase from Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2: potential roles in processing glucuronoxylans	08/31/18

2017	GH30 glucuronoxylan-specific xylanase from Streptomyces turgidiscabies C56	12/20/18

2017	Xylanase 30 A from Clostridium thermocellum functions as a glucuronoxylan xylanohydrolase	10/06/17

2016	A 1,3-1,4-β-glucan utilization regulon in Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2	09/30/16

2016	Acridine Orange Indicates Early Oxidation of Wood Cell Walls by Fungi	09/07/16

2016	Construction of a genetic linkage map and analysis of quantitative trait loci associated with the agronomically important traits of Pleurotus eryngii	07/12/16

2016	Draft genome sequence of the white-rot fungus Obba rivulosa 3A-2	09/29/16

2016	Endoglucanase post-milling treatment for producing cellulose nanofibers from bleached eucalyptus fibers by a supermasscolloider	07/15/16

2016	Gene expression patterns of wood decay fungi Postia placenta and Phanerochaete chrysosporium are influenced by wood substrate composition during degradation	09/22/16

2016	Genetic bases of fungal white rot wood decay predicted by phylogenomic analysis of correlated gene-phenotype evolution	10/06/17

2016	Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of carbohydrate utilization by Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2: systems for bioprocessing plant polysaccharides	09/30/16

2016	Glycosyl Hydrolase Xylanases, Compositions and Methods of Use for Efficient Hydrolysis and Processing of Xylan *	05/23/16

2016	Heterologous production and characterization of two glyoxal oxidases from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus	09/22/16

2016	Iron addition to soil specifically stabilized lignin	05/24/16

2016	Localizing gene regulation reveals a staggered wood decay mechanism for the brown rot fungus Postia placenta	07/05/17

2016	Prospects for bioprocess development based on recent genome advances in lignocellulose degrading basidiomycetes	09/29/16

2016	Transcriptome and secretome analyses of the wood decay fungus Wolfiporia cocos support alternative mechanisms of lignocellulose conversion	09/22/16

2015	Basidiomycete DyPs: Genomic diversity, structural-functional aspects, reaction mechanism and environmental significance	12/07/15

2015	Chemistry of wood in 3D: new infrared imaging	12/15/15

2015	Contrasting Patterns of Diterpene Acid Induction by Red Pine and White Spruce to Simulated Bark Beetle Attack, and Interspecific Differences in Sensitivity Among Fungal Associates	07/07/15

2015	Lignin decomposition is sustained under fluctuating redox conditions in humid tropical forest soils	09/25/15

2015	Physical and Mechanical Properties of Cellulose Nanofibril Films from Bleached Eucalyptus Pulp by Endoglucanase Treatment and Microfluidization	09/25/15

2015	Production of cellulose nanofibrils from bleached eucalyptus fibers by hyperthermostable endoglucanase treatment and subsequent microfluidization	02/11/15

2015	Prospects and challenges for fungal metatranscriptomics of complex communities	02/11/15

2015	Regulation of Gene Expression during the Onset of Ligninolytic Oxidation by Phanerochaete chrysosporium on Spruce Wood	12/15/15

2014	2D-NMR Demonstration of Lignin Removal from Wood and Non-wood plant Feedstocks by Fungal Versatile Peroxidase	10/01/14

2014	3D FT-IR imaging spectroscopy of phase-separation in a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/poly(L-lactic acid) blend	07/20/15

2014	A Highly Diastereoselective Oxidant Contributes to Ligninolysis by the White Rot Basidiomycete Ceriporiopsis subvermispora	10/01/14

2014	A novel member of glycoside hydrolase family 30 subfamily 8 with altered substrate specificity	07/16/15

2014	Analysis of the Phlebiopsis gigantea Genome, Transcriptome and Secretome Provides Insight into Its Pioneer Colonization Strategies of Wood	12/22/14

2014	Chapter 3: Wood Decay	09/16/14

2014	Copper radical oxidases and related extracellular oxidoreductases of wood-decay Agaricomycetes	09/17/14

2014	Disruption of the Cytochrome C Gene in Xylose-Fermenting Yeast *	09/22/14

2014	Engineering the Xylan Utilization System in Bacillus subtilis for Production of Acidic Xylooligosaccharides	09/22/14

2014	Ethanol production from non-detoxified whole slurry of sulfite-pretreated empty fruit bunches at a low cellulase loading	07/18/14

2014	Extensive sampling of basidiomycete genomes demonstrates inadequacy of the white-rot/brown-rot paradigm for wood decay fungi	09/17/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for ACQ-Treated Wood *	09/19/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for CCA-Treated Wood *	09/25/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for CCA-Treated Wood *	09/29/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for Creosote-Treated Wood *	09/19/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for Creosote-Treated Wood *	09/25/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for Pentachlorophenol-Treated Wood *	09/19/14

2014	Fungal Degradation and Bioremediation System for Pentachlorophenol-Treated Wood *	09/25/14

2014	Fungal Inocolum Preparation *	09/22/14

2014	Fungal Inoculum Preparation *	09/22/14

2014	Influence of Populus Genotype on Gene Expression by the Wood Decay Fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium	09/17/14

2014	Ligninolytic peroxidase genes in the oyster mushroom genome: heterologous expression, molecular structure, catalytic and stability properties, and lignin-degrading ability	09/16/14

2014	Method for Producing Pulp *	09/29/14

2014	Method of Pulping Wood Chips with a Fungi Using Sulfite Salt-Treated Wood Chip *	09/22/14

2014	Method of Removing Color From Kraft Wood Pulps *	09/22/14

2014	Method of Removing Color From Wood Pulp Using Xylanase From Streptomyces Roseiscleroticus NRRL-B-11019 *	09/22/14

2014	Porphyrins *	09/23/14

2014	Porphyrins and Uses Thereof *	09/23/14

2014	Sham-Sensitive Terminal Oxidase Gene from Xylose-Fermenting Yeast *	09/22/14

2014	Solid Phase Bioremediation Methods Using Lignin-Degrading Fungi *	09/22/14

2014	Temporal Alterations in the Secretome of the Selective Ligninolytic Fungus Ceriporipsis subvermispora during growth on Aspen Wood Reveal this Organism's Strategy for Degrading Lighnocellulose	09/17/14

2014	Transcriptomic Analysis of Xylan Utilization Systems in Paenibacillus sp	07/20/15

2014	What Basidiomycete Genomes Teach us about Wood Biodegradation Mechanisms	10/01/14

2014	Xylanase From Streptomyces Roseiscleroticus NRRL-11019 for Removing Color From Kraft Wood Pulps *	09/23/14

2014	Xylose-Fermenting Recombinant Yeast Strains *	09/25/14

2014	Xylose-Fermenting Recombinant Yeast Strains *	09/25/14

2014	Xylose-Fermenting Yeast Mutants *	09/23/14

2014	Yeast Transformation System *	05/29/14

2013	3D spectral imaging with synchrotron Fourier transform infrared spectro-microtomography	10/20/14

2013	A comparative genomic analysis of the oxidative enzymes potentially involved in lignin degradation by Agaricus bisporus	09/05/13

2013	Chapter 13: Recent Advances on the Genomics of Litter- and Soil-Inhabiting Agaricomycetes	09/30/13

2013	Chapter 5: Organopollutant Degradation by Wood Decay Basidiomycetes	11/18/14

2013	Chapter 6: Prehydrolysis Pulping with Fermentation Coproducts	09/30/13

2013	Chemically imaging the effects of the addition of nanofibrillated cellulose on the distribution of poly(acrylic acid) in poly(vinyl alcohol)	04/02/13

2013	Co-Fermentation of Glucose, Xylose and/or Cellobiose by Yeast *	10/21/13

2013	Differential sensitivity of polyhydroxyalkanoate producing bacteria to fermentation inhibitors and comparison of polyhydroxybutyrate production from Burkholderia cepacia and Pseudomonas pseudoflava	08/02/13

2013	Evidence from Serpula lacrymans that 2,5-Dimethoxyhydroquinone Is a Lignocellulolytic Agent of Divergent Brown Rot Basidiomycetes	09/05/13

2013	Formation of a tyrosine adduct involved in lignin degradation by Trametopsis cervina lignin peroxidase: a novel peroxidase activation mechanism	09/09/13

2013	Genomewide analysis of polysaccharides degrading enzymes in 11 white- and brown-rot Polyporales provides insight into mechanisms of wood decay	09/09/14

2013	Integration of Chemical and Biological Catalysis: Production of Furylglycolic Acid from Glucose via Cortalcerone	02/24/14

2013	Method of Making Medium Density Fiberboard *	08/15/13

Research Projects

Project Number	Title	Project Dates
Below are 8 research projects associated with this research unit.
FPL-4712-1-T	Bioconversion	07-31-2002 - 07-30-2007

FPL-4712-4A	Bioconversion of thinnings	07-23-2007 - 07-22-2012

FPL-4712-1A	Bioconversion of wood sugars to fuels and other chemicals	07-23-2007 - 07-22-2012

FPL-4712-3A	Enzymatic and microbial processing of wood and wood fiber to fuels and other chemicals	07-23-2007 - 07-22-2012

FPL-4712-3-T	Enzymatic processing of wood fiber	07-31-2002 - 07-30-2007

FPL-4712-4-T	Optimize lignocelluose-degrading fungi for bioprocessing and bioconversion of wood	07-31-2002 - 07-30-2007

FPL-4712-2-T	Oxidative systems of wood decay fungi	07-31-2002 - 07-30-2007

FPL-4712-2A	Oxidative systems of wood decay fungi	07-23-2007 - 07-22-2012

Partnerships

Making Ethanol from Biomass to Meet Energy Demands

Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) researchers have had proven and continuing success working with commercial partners to improve methods of converting biomass to alternative fuels such as ethanol. One important goal of these collaborations is to promote biomass as a way to meet increasing worldwide energy demands.

Xethanol Corporation, an ethanol producer with facilities in Iowa, acquired licensing rights to a patented process developed by FPL and the University of Wisconsin and signed a cooperative research and development agreement to solidify the partnership. The patented process aids in the conversion of xylose, a sugar found in waste biomass and corn fiber, to ethanol and xylitol, a sweetener used in food processing.

The conversion takes place through a fermentation process in which specialized yeast strains break down the xylose. The process reduces the time and labor involved in the critical task of isolating and screening yeast strains for effective fermentation agents and can be used for conversion of both agricultural waste and woody biomass.

Collaborative research in this area is continuing with a new partnership recently formed between FPL and EdeniQ, a company that focuses on turning abundant, non-food biomass into fuels. Researchers are developing yeasts used to ferment xylose and glucose from biomass for commercial ethanol production.

Lab Notes - FPL's online news feed

Below are the 2 most recent Lab Notes blog postings pertaining to this research unit.

Title	Date Posted
Genetics Provide Valuable Insight into Mysterious Decay Fungi Valuable insights to developing effective biological control agents for protecting conifer trees from root rot have been discovered...	01-02-2015
Pulp NonFiction: Fungal Analysis Reveals Clues for Targeted Biomass Deconstruction Without fungi and microbes to break down dead trees and leaf litter in nature, the forest floor might look like a scene from TV's "Hoarders." Dan Cullen, research microbiologist at the FPL, is part of an international team of scientists studying the ...	05-02-2012