The resulting PCR amplicons consisted of two types, differing according to size. Comparative sequence analysis and structural prediction of the flagellin amino acid sequences revealed the presence of numerous large gaps in the D2/D3

domains, which located in flagellum surface. Phylogenetic analysis using partial Anti-infection Compound high throughput screening N-terminal flagellin sequences revealed that the Actinoplanes species grouped into three subclusters. The diversity of flagellin gene provides us useful information to discuss the evolution of motile actinomycetes. This study was supported in part by a research grant from the Institute for Fermentation, Osaka (IFO). “
“Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered for assembly of minicellulosomes by heterologous expression of a recombinant scaffolding protein from Clostridium cellulovorans and a chimeric endoglucanase E from Clostridium thermocellum. The chimeric endoglucanase E fused with the dockerin domain of endoglucanase B from C. cellulovorans

was assembled with the recombinant scaffolding protein. The resulting strain was able to ferment amorphous cellulose [carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC)] into ethanol with the aid of β-glucosidase 1 produced from Saccharomycopsis fibuligera. The minicellulosomes assembled in vivo retained the synergistic effect for cellulose hydrolysis. The minicellulosomes containing the cellulose-binding domain were purified by crystalline cellulose affinity in a single Akt inhibitor step. In the fermentation test at 10 g L−1 initial CMC, approximately 3.45 g L−1 ethanol was produced after 16 h. The yield (in grams of ethanol produced per substrate) was 0.34 g g−1 from CMC. This result indicates that a one-step processing of cellulosic biomass in a consolidated bioprocessing configuration is technically feasible by recombinant yeast cells expressing functional

minicellulosomes. Bioethanol is currently one of the most promising alternatives to conventional transport fuels because of its desirable characteristics, Lck such as high octane value and good combustion efficiency (Madhavan et al., 2009). Cellulosic materials of plant origin as a source of bioethanol production are the most abundant utilizable biomass resource. However, as alcohol production from cellulosic materials remains unfeasible economically, the development of a more effective and high-yield ethanol fermentation process is required to bring about a necessary dramatic reduction of production costs (Kondo et al., 2002). One-step conversion of lignocellulose to ethanol with an organism capable of cellulose degradation and efficient fermentation [consolidated bioprocessing (CBP)] would greatly enhance the cost effectiveness of bioethanol production (Lynd et al., 2005).