20240918-Koh-Esterase-Summary (IMAGE) Kobe University Caption A schematic overview of the study’s significance. Wood is composed mainly of cellulose fibers (green), hemicellulose (blue) and lignin (red), that are chemically linked to each other. A fungal enzyme (pink) can separate hemicellulose and lignin, but to do so, it needs to bind to a short chain of hemicellulose. Only by creating a test substrate that also has this short hemicellulose chain, the Kobe bioengineer KOH Sangho and his team were able to characterize the enzyme. Credit KOH Sangho Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. License CC BY Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.