Lignocellulose degradation in a wood boring marine crustacean

We are investigating the mechanism of lignocellulose degradation in a marine crustacean wood borer that lives on a diet of wood in the absence of residential gut microbes.  We used a range of methods to gain an understanding of the digestive process, including transcriptomics and proteomics, gene expression profiling, protein localisation studies, enzyme characterisation and the analysis of the role of oxidative mechanisms. I will present an overview of the glycosyl hydrolase genes expressed in the animal’s digestive system and highlight some structural features and the function of a GH7 cellobiohydrolase, the first characterised from an animal. I will also outline evidence suggesting that reactive oxygen species may play a significant role in the breakdown of lignocellulose in the absence of microbial assistance in Limnoria and propose key enzymes involved in that process.