BHSI faculty member has developed a gene that improves biofuel synthesis from plants

Debra Mohnen in greenhouse with young Populus deltoides plants. Photo by Paul Efland.

Debra Mohnen, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and member of UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, along with her
research team have downplayed the role of gene GAUT4 in order to lower the internal levels of pectin in plant cell walls. The result is a plant that can be broken down into simple sugars that can then be converted into biofuels. This research was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee, ArborGen, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

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