Transgenic Fungi Could Cut Ethanol Costs

The quest for a Fountain of Cellulostic Ethanol found another champion as Tel Aviv University unveiled transgenic fungi capable of unlocking the glucose molecules in cellulose — and doing so much more cheaply and efficiently than their unmodified counterparts.

Like so many scientific turning points, the initial discovery was an accident. "We were exploring ways to modify the germination of the fungus using anti-death genes. Disappointed with our results, we continued research in another direction. About a year later, when we went to clean out the cold room, we were astonished to discover a bright fungal colony that should have died months before."

As Biofuel Review reports:

What the researchers chanced upon was later tested in the lab and found to be true: a gene was discovered that made cells more resistant to death. "With this gene, the fungus can live much longer, even in environments that would normally kill it very quickly," says Prof. Sharon.

Why are scientists wasting anti-death genes on a fungus instead of dispensing them to deserving humans through the nearest Canadian online pharmacy? Couldn't say. Why do so many ethanol-related discoveries sound like they happened in the uncleaned refrigerator of a student household in backwoods Vermont? Here again, no clue.

But here's the bottom line: The long-lived, heat-tolerant, toxin-resistant modified fungus will break down cellulose longer and under much harsher conditions — such as those that develop as plant cellulose is converted into bioethanol. To most people, a transgenic fungus is still a fungus, and fungus stinks. To the nascent ethanol industry, this one could end up smelling like freshly minted money.

Tel Aviv University unveils fungi capable of cutting cost of ethanol production [Biofuel Review]