Towards the application of nature's catalytic nanomachines: Cellulosomes in 2nd generation biofuel production

Cellulosomes are highly efficient, complex multi-enzyme assemblies, predominantly found in anaerobic bacteria, which offer substantial potential for second-generation biofuel production through efficient lignocellulosic biomass degradation, thus reducing the need for costly pretreatments. Recent advances in cellulosome research have significantly contributed to developing more efficient consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) platforms for biofuel production. This review highlights the latest progress in designing cellulosomes for optimized enzyme synergy and substrate specificity, as well as advances in engineering cellulosome-producing whole-cell biocatalysts tailored for biofuel applications. Apart from recombinant approaches to the development of CBP platforms, metabolic engineering of cellulosome-producing strains (CPS) and co-culture systems that combine CPS with solvent-producing microbes are also discussed. Current challenges and future directions are outlined that emphasize the role of cellulosomes as powerful tools in advancing the efficiency of lignocellulosic biorefineries.