NOVELTY - A new fragment of isolated DNA encoding a specific and high-capacity L-arabinose transporter comprises a fully defined 1566-bp sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1), given in the specification, or its functionally equivalent variant or complementary strings.    USE - The fragment of isolated DNA encoding a specific and high-capacity L-arabinose transporter is useful for generating value-added compounds, such as biofuels, bulk and platform chemicals, fatty acids, fatty-derived molecules, isoprenoids, isoprenoid-derived molecules, alkanes, isopentanol or isoamylacetate (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The invention allows for the complete use of sugar obtained from plant biomass and other ligno-cellulose materials of biotechnological importance in the production of biofuels, bulk and platform chemicals including ethanol, butanol, lactate, 1,4-diacids (succinate, fumaric, malic), glycerol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol/arabinitol, L-ascorbic acid, xylitol, hydrogen gas, 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glutaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid, and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, fatty acids, fatty-derived molecules, isoprenoids, isoprenoid-derived molecules, alkanes, isopentanol or isoamylacetate, using genetically modified microorganisms to consume and ferment L-arabinose in hexose and pentose mixtures resulting from renewable raw materials.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are: (1) a cDNA molecule comprising the fragment of isolated DNA encoding a specific and high-capacity L-arabinose transporter; (2) a plasmid comprising the DNA fragment encoding a specific and high-capacity L-arabinose transporter; (3) a host cell transformed with the DNA fragment that allows the host cell to express the corresponding mRNA; and (4) a process for the use of plant biomass or other lignocellulose compounds in the production of value-added compounds, such as biofuels, bulk and platform chemicals including ethanol, butanol, lactate, 1,4-diacids (succinate, fumaric, malic), glycerol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol/arabinitol, L-ascorbic acid, xylitol, hydrogen gas, 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glutaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid, or 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, fatty acids, fatty-derived molecules, isoprenoids, isoprenoid-derived molecules, alkanes, isopentanol or isoamylacetate, which comprises using L-arabinose from an agent comprising L-arabinose source with the transformed host cell, where the host cell uses L-arabinose to generate the value-added compounds.