Closely related fungi employ diverse enzymatic strategies to degrade plant biomass

Ref ID: 18537

Author:

Isabelle Benoit,
Helena Culleton,
Ad Wiebenga,
Pedro M. Coutinho,
Carlo P.J.M. Brouwer,
Vincent McKie,
Barry McCleary,
Bernard Henrissat,
Ronald P. de Vries

Author address:

Microbiology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands  
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The
Netherlands

Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, CNRS - Universités d’Aix-Marseille I & II,
Marseille, F

Full conference title:

11 th European Conference on Fungal Genetics

Abstract:

Fungi can grow in many biotopes and on many different carbon sources. In natural biotopes, plant biomass is the
predominant carbon source for most fungi. Plant biomass consists largely of polymeric compounds of which
polysaccharides are the main components. Fungi cannot take up the intact polysaccharides, but need to degrade
them extracellularly to monomeric and small oligomeric compounds. To achieve this, fungi produces diverse
enzymatic mixtures that are tailored specifically to the available polysaccharides.
A recent study demonstrated significant differences in the polysaccharide degrading ability of three Aspergilli,
while only small differences were detected in their growth on various plant polysaccharides (Coutinho et al, 2009).
This suggests that related fungal species may have developed different approaches to plant biomass degradation,
employing different enzyme sets. A better understanding of these strategies will not only increase our insight in
fungal biodiversity, but will also help in designing more efficient industrial processes for plant biomass
degradation.
In this study we have compared the plant biomass degrading potential and strategy of 8 Aspergilli and
demonstrate that they have developed a highly diverse approach to using these complex carbon sources. Although
all eight species contain the main transcriptional activators involved in plant polysaccharide degradation (AmyR,
XlnR, AraR, InuR) the enzymatic sets produced by them differs hugely, suggesting a species specific fine8208;tuning of
plant biomass degradation.

Abstract Number: PR8.66

Conference Year: 2012

Link to conference website: http://www.ecfg.info/images/Abstract_Book_Electronic.pdf

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