Authors: Hongjie Li, Xue Kang, Mengyi Yang, Boris Dodji Kasseney, Xuguo Zhou, Shiyou Liang, Xiaojie Zhang, Jia-Long Wen, Baoting Yu, Ning Liu, Yufen Zhao, Jianchu Mo, Cameron R. Currie, John Ralph, Daniel J. Yelle
Published: 2023-05-24
Source: Full article
Plant cell walls represent the most abundant pool of organic carbon in terrestrial ecosystems but are highly recalcitrant to utilization by microbes and herbivores owing to the physical and chemical barrier provided by lignin biopolymers. Termites are a paradigmatic example of an organism’s having evolved the ability to substantially degrade lignified woody plants, yet atomic-scale characterization of lignin depolymerization by termites remains elusive. We report that the phylogenetically derived termite