laccase and 4-anisidine

Wheat straw is the major crop residue in European countries which makes it the most promising material for bioconversion into biofuels. However, cellulose and hemicellulose are protected with lignin, so delignification is an inevitable phase in lignocellulose processing. The organisms predominantly responsible for its degradation are white-rot fungi and among them Trametes species represent promising degraders due to a well-developed ligninolytic enzyme system. Although numerous studies have confirmed that low molecular weight compounds can induce the production and activity of ligninolytic enzymes it is not clear how this reflects on the extent of delignification. The aim of the study was to assess the capacity of p-anisidine and veratryl alcohol to induce the production and activity of Mn-oxidizing peroxidases and laccases, and wheat straw delignification by six Trametes species. Significant inter- and intraspecific variations in activity and features of these enzymes were found, as well as differences in the potential of lignocellulose degradation in the presence or absence of inducers. Differences in the catalytic properties of synthesized enzyme isoforms strongly affected lignin degradation. Apart from enhanced lignin degradation, the addition of p-anisidine could significantly improve the selectivity of wheat straw ligninolysis, which was especially evident for T. hirsuta strains.

Topics: Aniline Compounds; Benzyl Alcohols; Fungal Proteins; Laccase; Lignin; Peroxidases; Proteolysis; Trametes; Triticum

The constitutive intracellular laccase activity of ten strains of Pleurotus spp. was determined in vitro and by zymograms, using different substrates. Differences in the in vitro activities were observed between all the strains; however, zymogram patterns were only similar for strains within same species, independently of any of the three substrate (2,6-dimethoxyphenol, p-anisidine or o-tolidine) used. The differences observed in the number and positions of the isoforms in the gel suggest that laccase zymograms can be used to differentiate species of this organism.

Topics: Aniline Compounds; Benzidines; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Laccase; Mycelium; Pleurotus; Pyrogallol; Species Specificity; Substrate Specificity