JoVE General
Investigating the Microbial Community in the Termite Hindgut - Interview
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology - Caltech
Jared Leadbetter explains why the termite-gut microbial community is an excellent system for studying the complex interactions between microbes. The symbiotic relationship existing between the host insect and lignocellulose-degrading gut microbes is explained, as well as the industrial uses of these microbes for degrading plant biomass and generating biofuels.
JoVE General
High-throughput Saccharification Assay for Lignocellulosic Materials
Center for Novel Agricultural Products, University of York
A simple, rapid method for determining the saccharification potential of large numbers of plant biomass samples is described. The automated platform for this analysis involves the preparation of the plant biomass for analysis in 96 well plates and the subsequent performance of pretreatment, hydrolysis and quantification of the sugars released.
JoVE General
Agar-Block Microcosms for Controlled Plant Tissue Decomposition by Aerobic Fungi
Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota
This video demonstrates a controlled environment approach to study degradation of lignocellulosic plant tissues by aerobic fungi. The ability to control nutrient sources and moisture is a key advantage of agar-block microcosms, but the approach often yields mixed success. We address critical pitfalls to yield reproducible, low-variability results.
JoVE Bioengineering
GENPLAT: an Automated Platform for Biomass Enzyme Discovery and Cocktail Optimization
1DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, 2DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University
GENPLAT (GLBRC Enzyme Platform) is an automated platform for discovery and optimization of enzyme cocktails for biomass degradation. It can be adapted to multiple feedstocks and mixtures of enzymes containing multiple components.
JoVE General
Extracting DNA from the Gut Microbes of the Termite (Zootermopsis Angusticollis) and Visualizing Gut Microbes
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology - Caltech
This video illustrates the technique for extracting DNA from the species of microbes resident in the termite hindgut. The preparation of a wet mount slide, which is useful for visualizing the gut microbial community is also illustrated, and a tour through the species-rich gut environment is given.
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