Retraction: Characterization of cellulolytic activities of newly isolated Thelephora sowerbyi from North-Western Himalayas on different lignocellulosic substrates

Bioprocessing of wheat bran for the production of lignocellulolytic enzyme cocktail by Cotylidia pannosa under submerged conditions

Characterization and production of efficient lignocellulytic enzyme cocktails for biomass conversion is the need for biofuel industry. The present investigation reports the modeling and optimization studies of lignocellulolytic enzyme cocktail production by Cotylidia pannosa under submerged conditions. The predominant enzyme activities of cellulase, xylanase and laccase were produced in the cocktail through submerged conditions using wheat bran as a substrate. A central composite design approach was utilized to model the production process using temperature, pH, incubation time and agitation as input variables with the goal of optimizing the output variables namely cellulase, xylanase and laccase activities. The effect of individual, square and interaction terms on cellulase, xylanase and laccase activities were depicted through the non-linear regression equations with significant R(2) and P-values. An optimized value of 20 U/ml, 17 U/ml and 13 U/ml of cellulase, xylanase and laccase activities, respectively, were obtained with a media pH of 5.0 in 77 h at 31C, 140 rpm using wheatbran as a substrate. Overall, the present study introduces a fungal strain, capable of producing lignocellulolytic enzyme cocktail for subsequent applications in biofuel industry.

Construction of Aspergillus niger integrated with cellulase gene from Ampullaria gigas Spix for improved enzyme production and saccharification of alkaline-pretreated rice straw

Aspergillus niger is an important microorganism that has been used for decades to produce extracellular enzymes. In this study, a novel Aspergillus niger strain integrated with a eukaryotic expression vector harboring the gpd-Shi promoter of shiitake mushrooms and cellulase gene of Ampullaria gigas Spix was engineered to improve cellulase production for the achievement of highly efficient saccharification of agricultural residues. In one strain, designated ACShi27, which exhibited the highest total cellulase expression, total cellulase, endoglucanase, exoglucanase, and xylanase expression levels were 1.73, 16.23, 17.73, and 150.83 U ml⁻¹, respectively; these values were 14.5, 22.3, 24.6, and 17.3% higher than those of the wild-type Aspergillus niger M85 using wheat bran as an induction substrate. Production of cellulases and xylanase by solid-state fermentation followed by in situ saccharification of ACShi27 was investigated with alkaline-pretreated rice straw as a substrate. After 2 days of enzyme induction at 30 °C, followed by 48 h of saccharification at 50 °C, the conversion rate of carbon polymers into reducing sugar reached 293.2 mg g⁻¹, which was 1.23-fold higher than that of the wild-type strain. The expression of sestc in Aspergillus niger can improve the total cellulase and xylanase activity and synergism, thereby enhancing the lignocellulose in situ saccharification.

Autochthonous microbial community associated with pine needle forest litterfall influences its degradation under natural environmental conditions

The slow natural degradation of chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) needle litterfall and its accumulation on forest floors have been attributed to its lignocellulosic complexities of the biomass. The present study offers a microbiological insight into the role of autochthonous microflora associated with pine needle litterfall in its natural degradation. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting indicated actinomycetes (Saccharomonospora sp., Glycomyces sp., Agrococcus sp., Leifsonia sp., Blastocatella sp., and Microbacterium sp.) as a dominant microbial community associated with pine needle litterfall with the absence of fungal decomposers. On exclusion of associated autochthonous microflora from pine litterfall resulted in colonization by decomposer fungi identified as Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus sp., which otherwise failed to colonize the litterfall under natural conditions. The results, therefore, indicated that the autochthonous microbial community of pine needle litterfall (dominated by actinomycetes) obstructs the colonization of litter-degrading fungi and subsequently hinders the overall process of natural degradation of litterfall.