Mechanocatalysis is a promising method for depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass. Microbial utilization of the resulting oligosaccharides is one potential route of adding value to the depolymerized biomass. However, it is unclear how readily these oligosaccharides are utilized by standard cell factories. Here, we investigate utilization of cellulose subjected to mechanocatalytic depolymerization, using ethanologenic Escherichia coli as a model fermentation organism. The mechanocatalytic oligosaccharides supported ethanol titers similar to those observed when glucose was provided at comparable concentrations. Tracking of the various oligomers, using maltose (alpha-1,4) and cellobiose (beta-1,4) oligomers as representative standards of the orientation, but not linkage, of the glycosidic bond, suggests that the malto-like-oligomers are more readily utilized than cello-like-oligomers, consistent with poor growth with cellotetraose or cellopentaose as sole carbon source. Thus, mechanocatalytic oligosaccharides are a promising substrate for cell factories, and microbial utilization of these sugars could possibly be improved by addressing utilization of cello-like oligomers.

中文翻译：

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利用产乙醇大肠杆菌作为模型微生物细胞工厂的机械催化寡糖。

机械催化是木质纤维素生物质解聚的一种有前途的方法。所产生的寡糖的微生物利用是解聚生物质增值的一种潜在途径。然而，尚不清楚标准细胞工厂如何容易地利用这些寡糖。在这里，我们使用产乙醇大肠杆菌作为模型发酵生物体，研究了经过机械催化解聚的纤维素的利用。机械催化寡糖支持的乙醇滴度与提供可比浓度的葡萄糖时观察到的类似。使用麦芽糖（α-1,4）和纤维二糖（β-1,4）低聚物作为糖苷键的方向（但不是连接）的代表性标准，对各种低聚物进行追踪，表明麦芽糖样低聚物是比纤维样低聚物更容易利用，这与以纤维四糖或纤维五糖作为唯一碳源时生长不良相一致。因此，机械催化寡糖是细胞工厂的一种有前景的底物，并且通过解决类纤维寡聚物的利用可能会改善微生物对这些糖的利用。