NMR studies on lignocellulose deconstructions in the digestive system of the lower termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki.

ABSTRACT: Termites represent one of the most efficient lignocellulose decomposers on earth. The mechanism by which termites overcome the recalcitrant lignin barrier to gain access to embedded polysaccharides for assimilation and energy remains largely unknown. In the present study, softwood, hardwood, and grass lignocellulose diets were fed to Coptotermes formosanus workers, and structural differences between the original lignocellulose diets and the resulting feces were examined by solution-state multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques as well as by complementary wet-chemical methods. Overall, our data support the view that lignin polymers are partially decomposed during their passage through the termite gut digestive system, although polysaccharide decomposition clearly domina

SUBMITTER: Tarmadi D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5778066 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature