Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for treating lignocellulosic material with a dual activity enzyme having xylanase and cellulase activity. The enzyme is stable and active at increased pH and increased temperatures. The present invention therefore provides methods for hydrolyzing lignocellulosic material, especially cellulose and hemicellulose, which are major components of the cell wall of non-woody and woody plants. The methods for hydrolyzing cellulose and hemicellulose can be used on any plant, wood or wood product, wood waste, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste or byproduct.

Abstract: The invention provides for methods of generating modified polynucleotide libraries by inserting and/or deleting at least three nucleotide residues in polynucleotide sequences. Theses methods may be used with other methods of gene modification such as gene shuffling. The invention further provides methods of directed molecular evolution using the modified polynucleotide libraries produced by these methods.

Abstract: The invention relates to methods of determining the mutational load of a gene bank obtained by random mutagenesis of a gene of interest by preparing a chart linking the mutational load of a gene bank obtained by random mutagenesis of a model gene with the fraction of mutated model genes observed in the bank; performing, in parallel, random mutagenesis of the model gene used for preparing the chart and the gene of interest to obtain the corresponding mutated gene banks; determining the mutational load of the gene bank obtained using the model gene on the basis of the chart plotted; and applying a correction factor to the mutational load of the mutated model gene bank to determine the mutational load in the gene bank of the mutated genes of interest.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the expression and optimization of enzymes involved in lignocellulosic biomass decomposition. The present invention relates more particularly to beta-glucosidase variants comprising at least one modification among the amino acids located at positions 225, 238, 240 and 241, according to the numbering in SEQ ID No. 2 of Trichoderma reesei beta-glucosidase, and also relates to the use of said variants having improved effectiveness in methods for cellulose decomposition and biofuel production.

Abstract: Fatty acid 13-hydroperoxide lyase proteins which have been modified with respect to a previously described guava 13-hydroperoxide lyase and the nucleic acid sequences encoding these proteins. Also, recombinant nucleic acid molecules for expressing the modified 13-hydroperoxide lyases and methods of using such lyases in the field of organic synthesis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method used to determine the mutational load of a gene bank obtained by means of random mutagenesis of a gene of interest comprising: a) the preparation of a chart linking the mutational load (ML) of gene bank obtained by means of random mutagenesis of a model gene with the fraction of mutated model genes observed in said bank; b) the random mutagenesis of the model gene used for the preparation of the chart for step (a) and the gene of interest to obtain the corresponding mutated gene banks; c) the determination of the mutational load (ML) of the gene bank obtained using the model gene in step (b) on the basis of the chart plotted in step (a); d) the application of a correction factor (CF) to the mutational load (ML) of the mutated model gene bank determined in step (c) to determine the mutational load (ML) of the banks of mutated genes of interest from step (b).

Abstract: The invention relates to a fragmentation process that depends on mismatches between two strands of parental polynucleotides. One embodiment, comprises a method for preparing polynucleotide fragments of DNA comprising formation of heteroduplex molecules by hybridizing polynucleotides. The invention also provides a method and process of forming fragments which can be used with any shuffling process or combination of shuffling processes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fragmentation process that depends on mismatches between two strands of parental polynucleotides. One embodiment, comprises a method for preparing polynucleotide fragments of DNA comprising formation of heteroduplex molecules by hybridizing polynucleotides. The invention also provides a method and process of forming fragments which can be used with any shuffling process or combination of shuffling processes.