Abstract: Biomass such as wood, crop residues or shellfish waste can be used as raw material for many different industrial purposes. There is a demand for biomass-modifying enzymes with new or modified properties to be applied in these industrial processes. Microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi are the primary degraders of biomass in the environment and they provide a source of enzymes with novel properties. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology provide the scientific community with an accelerated number of complete microbial genome sequences that are exploited in understanding enzyme diversity.
Chitin is a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine found in invertebrates, fungi and zooplankton and it is the second most common biopolymer in nature, only bypassed by cellulose. Using state-of-the-art bioinformatic techniques and comparative genomics we have described the distribution and diversity of microbial chitinase genes, including several subgroups that were previously unknown and where no biochemical data are available. In addition, by considering the evolutionary context of an organism we can interpret molecular, genetic, genomic, proteomic or ecological data in a more comprehensive way. We currently employ methods in evolutionary genetics to better understand what molecular changes that is responsible for phenotypic variation, with important applications in industry and agricultural crop production. Studies of adaptive changes of proteins can be used to determine the molecular changes responsible for enzyme specificity. By establishing structure-function relationships we can address both basal scientific questions in evolutionary biology but also applied questions concerning protein engineering of enzymes with specific properties for agricultural and biotechnological applications.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Dr. Magnus Karlsson graduated from Uppsala University in 1999 with a Master degree in molecular biology. During the period 2000-2005 he was working in forest pathology, studying root rot disease on forest trees, with special focus on the molecular basis of pathogenicity and virulence. These studies were finished with a PhD degree in Biology from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He did his first post-doc period (2005-2006) at Uppsala University where he was working with questions on the evolution of reproductive systems. He continued with a second post-doc (2006-2008) where he worked with applied and basic research concerning microbial community structure and functioning. In 2009 he was appointed Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Current research focuses on mechanisms of biological control of plant pathogens and plant disease determinants.