The effects of extracellular pH and of the transcriptional regulator PACI on the transcriptome of Trichoderma reesei

Every road leads to Rome: diverse biosynthetic regulation of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes in filamentous fungi Penicillium oxalicum and Trichoderma reesei

Cellulases and xylanases are plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) that are critical to sustainable bioproduction based on renewable lignocellulosic biomass to reduce carbon dioxide emission. Currently, these enzymes are mainly produced from filamentous fungi, especially Trichoderma reesei and Penicillium oxalicum. However, an in-depth comparison of these two producers has not been performed. Although both P. oxalicum and T. reesei harbor CWDE systems, they exhibit distinct features regulating the production of these enzymes, mainly through different transcriptional regulatory networks. This review presents the strikingly different modes of genome-wide regulation of cellulase and xylanase biosynthesis in P. oxalicum and T. reesei, including sugar transporters, signal transduction cascades, transcription factors, chromatin remodeling, and three-dimensional organization of chromosomes. In addition, different molecular breeding approaches employed, based on the understanding of the regulatory networks, are summarized. This review highlights the existence of very different regulatory modes leading to the efficient regulation of CWDE production in filamentous fungi, akin to the adage that "every road leads to Rome." An understanding of this divergence may help further improvements in fungal enzyme production through the metabolic engineering and synthetic biology of certain fungal species.

Significance of glycans in cellulolytic enzymes for lignocellulosic biorefinery - A review

Lignocellulosic (LC) biomass is the most abundant renewable resource for mankind gravitating society towards sustainable solution for energy that can reduce the carbon footprint. The economic feasibility of 'biomass biorefinery' depends upon the efficiency cellulolytic enzymes which is the main crux. Its high production cost and low efficiencies are the major limitations, that need to be resolved. As the complexity of the genome increases, so does the complexity of the proteome, further facilitated by protein post-translational modifications (PTMs). Glycosylation is regarded the major PTMs and hardly any recent work is focused on importance of glycosylation in cellulase. By modifying protein side chains and glycans, superior cellulases with improved stability and efficiency can be obtained. Functional proteomics relies heavily on PTMs because they regulate activity, localization, and interactions with protein, lipid, nucleic acid, and cofactor molecules. O- and N- glycosylation in cellulases influences its characteristics adding positive attributes to the enzymes.

Promotion of Plant Growth in Arid Zones by Selected Trichoderma spp. Strains with Adaptation Plasticity to Alkaline pH

Trichoderma species are filamentous fungi that support plant health and confer improved growth, disease resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance. The objective of this study is to describe the physiological characteristics of the abundance and structure of Trichoderma model strains from arid zones and evaluate and describe their possible adaptation and modulation in alkaline pH. The presence of biotic factors such as phytopathogens forces farmers to take more actions such as using pesticides. In addition, factors such as the lack of water worldwide lead to losses in agricultural production. Therefore, the search for biocontrol microorganisms that support drought opens the door to the search for variations in the molecular mechanisms involved in these phenomena. In our case, we isolated 11 tested Trichoderma fungal strains from samples collected both from the rhizosphere and roots from two endemic plants. We probed their molecular markers to obtain their identity and assessed their resistance to alkaline conditions, as well as their response to mycoparasitism, plant growth promotion, and drought stress. The findings were worthy of being analyzed in depth. Three fungal taxa/species were grouped by phylogenetic/phenotypic characteristics; three T. harzianum strains showed outstanding capabilities to adapt to alkalinity stress. They also showed antagonistic activity against three phytopathogenic fungi. Additionally, we provided evidence of significant growth promotion in Sorghum bicolor seedlings under endemic agriculture conditions and a reduction in drought damage with Trichoderma infection. Finally, beneficial fungi adapted to specific ambient niches use various molecular mechanisms to survive and modulate their metabolism.

Factors regulating cellulolytic gene expression in filamentous fungi: an overview

The growing demand for biofuels such as bioethanol has led to the need for identifying alternative feedstock instead of conventional substrates like molasses, etc. Lignocellulosic biomass is a relatively inexpensive feedstock that is available in abundance, however, its conversion to bioethanol involves a multistep process with different unit operations such as size reduction, pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation, distillation, etc. The saccharification or enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose involves a complex family of enzymes called cellulases that are usually fungal in origin. Cellulose hydrolysis requires the synergistic action of several classes of enzymes, and achieving the optimum secretion of these simultaneously remains a challenge. The expression of fungal cellulases is controlled by an intricate network of transcription factors and sugar transporters. Several genetic engineering efforts have been undertaken to modulate the expression of cellulolytic genes, as well as their regulators. This review, therefore, focuses on the molecular mechanism of action of these transcription factors and their effect on the expression of cellulases and hemicellulases.

Insights into the Lignocellulose-Degrading Enzyme System of Humicola grisea var. thermoidea Based on Genome and Transcriptome Analysis

Humicola grisea var. thermoidea is a thermophilic ascomycete and important enzyme producer that has an efficient enzymatic system with a broad spectrum of thermostable carbohydrate-active (CAZy) enzymes. These enzymes can be employed in lignocellulose biomass deconstruction and other industrial applications. In this work, the genome of H. grisea var. thermoidea was sequenced. The acquired sequence reads were assembled into a total length of 28.75 Mbp. Genome features correlate with what was expected for thermophilic Sordariomycetes. The transcriptomic data showed that sugarcane bagasse significantly upregulated genes related to primary metabolism and polysaccharide deconstruction, especially hydrolases, at both pH 5 and pH 8. However, a number of exclusive and shared genes between the pH values were found, especially at pH 8. H. grisea expresses an average of 211 CAZy enzymes (CAZymes), which are capable of acting in different substrates. The top upregulated genes at both pH values represent CAZyme-encoding genes from different classes, including acetylxylan esterase, endo-1,4-β-mannosidase, exoglucanase, and endoglucanase genes. For the first time, the arsenal that the thermophilic fungus H. grisea var. thermoidea possesses to degrade the lignocellulosic biomass is shown. Carbon source and pH are of pivotal importance in regulating gene expression in this organism, and alkaline pH is a key regulatory factor for sugarcane bagasse hydrolysis. This work paves the way for the genetic manipulation and robust biotechnological applications of this fungus.

IMPORTANCE Most studies regarding the use of fungi as enzyme producers for biomass deconstruction have focused on mesophile species, whereas the potential of thermophiles has been evaluated less. This study revealed, through genome and transcriptome analyses, the genetic repertoire of the biotechnological relevant thermophile fungus Humicola grisea. Comparative genomics helped us to further understand the biology and biotechnological potential of H. grisea. The results demonstrate that this fungus possesses an arsenal of carbohydrate-active (CAZy) enzymes to degrade the lignocellulosic biomass. Indeed, it expresses more than 200 genes encoding CAZy enzymes when cultivated in sugarcane bagasse. Carbon source and pH are key factors for regulating the gene expression in this organism. This work shows, for the first time, the great potential of H. grisea as an enzyme producer and a gene donor for biotechnological applications and provides the base for the genetic manipulation and robust biotechnological applications of this fungus.

From induction to secretion: a complicated route for cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei has been widely used for cellulase production that has extensive applications in green and sustainable development. Increasing costs and depletion of fossil fuels provoke the demand for hyper-cellulase production in this cellulolytic fungus. To better manipulate T. reesei for enhanced cellulase production and to lower the cost for large-scale fermentation, it is wise to have a comprehensive understanding of the crucial factors and complicated biological network of cellulase production that could provide new perspectives for further exploration and modification. In this review, we summarize recent progress and give an overview of the cellular process of cellulase production in T. reesei, including the carbon source-dependent cellulase induction, complicated transcriptional regulation network, and efficient protein assembly and trafficking. Among that, the key factors involved in cellulase production were emphasized, shedding light on potential perspectives for further engineering.

Glutamine involvement in nitrogen regulation of cellulase production in fungi

BACKGROUND

Cellulase synthesized by fungi can environment-friendly and sustainably degrades cellulose to fermentable sugars for producing cellulosic biofuels, biobased medicine and fine chemicals. Great efforts have been made to study the regulation mechanism of cellulase biosynthesis in fungi with the focus on the carbon sources, while little attention has been paid to the impact and regulation mechanism of nitrogen sources on cellulase production.

RESULTS

Glutamine displayed the strongest inhibition effect on cellulase biosynthesis in Trichoderma reesei, followed by yeast extract, urea, tryptone, ammonium sulfate and L-glutamate. Cellulase production, cell growth and sporulation in T. reesei RUT-C30 grown on cellulose were all inhibited with the addition of glutamine (a preferred nitrogen source) with no change for mycelium morphology. This inhibition effect was attributed to both L-glutamine itself and the nitrogen excess induced by its presence. In agreement with the reduced cellulase production, the mRNA levels of 44 genes related to the cellulase production were decreased severely in the presence of glutamine. The transcriptional levels of genes involved in other nitrogen transport, ribosomal biogenesis and glutamine biosynthesis were decreased notably by glutamine, while the expression of genes relevant to glutamate biosynthesis, amino acid catabolism, and glutamine catabolism were increased noticeably. Moreover, the transcriptional level of cellulose signaling related proteins ooc1 and ooc2, and the cellular receptor of rapamycin trFKBP12 was increased remarkably, whose deletion exacerbated the cellulase depression influence of glutamine.

CONCLUSION

Glutamine may well be the metabolite effector in nitrogen repression of cellulase synthesis, like the role of glucose plays in carbon catabolite repression. Glutamine under excess nitrogen condition repressed cellulase biosynthesis significantly as well as cell growth and sporulation in T. reesei RUT-C30. More importantly, the presence of glutamine notably impacted the transport and metabolism of nitrogen. Genes ooc1, ooc2, and trFKBP12 are associated with the cellulase repression impact of glutamine. These findings advance our understanding of nitrogen regulation of cellulase production in filamentous fungi, which would aid in the rational design of strains and fermentation strategies for cellulase production in industry.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of Trichoderma reesei reveals different gene regulatory networks induced by synthetic mixtures of glucose and β-disaccharide

The mixture of glucose and β-disaccharide (MGD) synthesized by transglycosylation of glucose as a low-cost soluble carbon source can efficiently induce cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei, which holds potential for the biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass. However, it is not yet fully understood how MGD induces T. reesei cellulase. In this study, transcriptomic analyses were conducted to investigate the molecular basis of MGD for lignocellulose-degrading enzyme production of T. reesei Rut C30 compared with that on lactose. Particular attention was paid to CAZymes, transcription factors, transporters and other protein processing pathways related to lignocellulose degradation. As a result, MGD can elicit transcription of GH5-, GH6- and GH7-encoding cellulases that is up to 1.4-fold higher than that induced by lactose, but GH11- and GH74-encoding xylanases are downregulated by 1.7- and 4.4-fold, respectively. Gene expression profiles suggest that the transcription activators xyr1 and vib1 are significantly upregulated and that the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is strengthened compared to the case of lactose induction. In addition, hac1-encoding UPR-specific transcription factors are significantly upregulated by MGD, which may be enhanced due to proper folding and processing of nascent proteins. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the characterization of efficient cellulase production using MGD as an inducer in T. reesei and offer potential strategies for strain improvement.

Thermophilic microbial deconstruction and conversion of natural and transgenic lignocellulose

The potential to convert renewable plant biomasses into fuels and chemicals by microbial processes presents an attractive, less environmentally intense alternative to conventional routes based on fossil fuels. This would best be done with microbes that natively deconstruct lignocellulose and concomitantly form industrially relevant products, but these two physiological and metabolic features are rarely and simultaneously observed in nature. Genetic modification of both plant feedstocks and microbes can be used to increase lignocellulose deconstruction capability and generate industrially relevant products. Separate efforts on plants and microbes are ongoing, but these studies lack a focus on optimal, complementary combinations of these disparate biological systems to obtain a convergent technology. Improving genetic tools for plants have given rise to the generation of low-lignin lines that are more readily solubilized by microorganisms. Most focus on the microbiological front has involved thermophilic bacteria from the genera Caldicellulosiruptor and Clostridium, given their capacity to degrade lignocellulose and to form bio-products through metabolic engineering strategies enabled by ever-improving molecular genetics tools. Bioengineering plant properties to better fit the deconstruction capabilities of candidate consolidated bioprocessing microorganisms has potential to achieve the efficient lignocellulose deconstruction needed for industrial relevance.

Addressing challenges in production of cellulases for biomass hydrolysis: Targeted interventions into the genetics of cellulase producing fungi

Lignocellulosic materials are the favoured feedstock for biorefineries due to their abundant availability and non-completion with food. Biobased technologies for refining these materials are limited mainly by the cost of biomass hydrolyzing enzymes, typically sourced from filamentous fungi. Therefore, considerable efforts have been directed at improving the quantity and quality of secreted lignocellulose degrading enzymes from fungi in order to attain overall economic viability. Process improvements and media engineering probably have reached their thresholds and further production enhancements require modifying the fungal metabolism to improve production and secretion of these enzymes. This review focusses on the types and mechanisms of action of known fungal biomass degrading enzymes, our current understanding of the genetic control exerted on their expression, and possible routes for intervention, especially on modulating catabolite repression, transcriptional regulators, signal transduction, secretion pathways etc., in order to improve enzyme productivity, activity and stability.

Studies of Cellulose and Starch Utilization and the Regulatory Mechanisms of Related Enzymes in Fungi

Polysaccharides are biopolymers made up of a large number of monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds. Polysaccharides are widely distributed in nature: Some, such as peptidoglycan and cellulose, are the components that make up the cell walls of bacteria and plants, and some, such as starch and glycogen, are used as carbohydrate storage in plants and animals. Fungi exist in a variety of natural environments and can exploit a wide range of carbon sources. They play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle because of their ability to break down plant biomass, which is composed primarily of cell wall polysaccharides, including cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin. Fungi produce a variety of enzymes that in combination degrade cell wall polysaccharides into different monosaccharides. Starch, the main component of grain, is also a polysaccharide that can be broken down into monosaccharides by fungi. These monosaccharides can be used for energy or as precursors for the biosynthesis of biomolecules through a series of enzymatic reactions. Industrial fermentation by microbes has been widely used to produce traditional foods, beverages, and biofuels from starch and to a lesser extent plant biomass. This review focuses on the degradation and utilization of plant homopolysaccharides, cellulose and starch; summarizes the activities of the enzymes involved and the regulation of the induction of the enzymes in well-studied filamentous fungi.

Proteomic analysis reflects an environmental alkalinization-coupled pH-dependent mechanism of regulating lignocellulases in Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU4742

BACKGROUND

Filamentous fungi have the ability to efficiently decompose plant biomass, and thus are widely used in the biofuel and bioprocess industries. In process, ambient pH has been reported to strongly affect the performance of the applied functional filamentous fungi. In this study, Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU4742 was investigated under the fermentation of rice straw at different initial pH values for a detailed study.

RESULTS

The results showed that NJAU4742 strain could tolerate ambient pH values ranging from 3.0 to 9.0, but had significantly higher growth speed and extracellular enzyme activities under acidic conditions. At low ambient pH (< 4), NJAU4742 strain achieved rapid degradation of rice straw by elevating the ambient pH to an optimal range through environmental alkalinization. Further proteomic analysis identified a total of 1139 intracellular and extracellular proteins during the solid-state fermentation processes, including the quantified 190 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) responsible for rice straw degradation, such as 19 cellulases, 47 hemicellulases and 11 chitinases. Meanwhile, the analysis results clearly showed that the secreted lignocellulases had a synergistic trend in distribution according to the ambient pH, and thus led to a pH-dependent classification of lignocellulases in T. guizhouense NJAU4742.

CONCLUSIONS

Most functional lignocellulases were found to be differently regulated by the ambient pH in T. guizhouense NJAU4742, which had the ability of speeding up biomass degradation by elevating the ambient pH through environmental alkalinization. These findings contribute to the theoretical basis for the biodegradation of plant biomass by filamentous fungi in the biofuel and bioprocess industries.

The influence of feedstock characteristics on enzyme production in Trichoderma reesei: a review on productivity, gene regulation and secretion profiles

Biorefineries, designed for the production of lignocellulose-based chemicals and fuels, are receiving increasing attention from the public, governments, and industries. A major obstacle for biorefineries to advance to commercial scale is the high cost of the enzymes required to derive the fermentable sugars from the feedstock used. As summarized in this review, techno-economic studies suggest co-localization and integration of enzyme manufacturing with the cellulosic biorefinery as the most promising alternative to alleviate this problem. Thus, cultivation of Trichoderma reesei, the principal producer of lignocellulolytic enzymes, on the lignocellulosic biomass processed on-site can reduce the cost of enzyme manufacturing. Further, due to a complex gene regulation machinery, the fungus can adjust the gene expression of the lignocellulolytic enzymes towards the characteristics of the feedstock, increasing the hydrolytic efficiency of the produced enzyme cocktail. Despite extensive research over decades, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are not fully elucidated. One aspect that has received relatively little attention in literature is the influence the characteristics of a lignocellulosic substrate, i.e., its chemical and physical composition, has on the produced enzyme mixture. Considering that the fungus is dependent on efficient enzymatic degradation of the lignocellulose for continuous supply of carbon and energy, a relationship between feedstock characteristics and secretome composition can be expected. The aim of this review was to systematically collect, appraise, and aggregate data and integrate results from studies analyzing enzyme production by T. reesei on insoluble cellulosic model substrates and lignocellulosic biomass. The results show that there is a direct effect of the substrate's complexity (rated by structure, composition of the lignin-carbohydrate complex, and recalcitrance in enzymatic saccharification) on enzyme titers and the composition of specific activities in the secretome. It further shows that process-related factors, such as substrate loading and cultivation set-up, are direct targets for increasing enzyme yields. The literature on transcriptome and secretome composition further supports the proposed influence of substrate-related factors on the expression of lignocellulolytic enzymes. This review provides insights into the interrelation between the characteristics of the substrate and the enzyme production by T. reesei, which may help to advance integrated enzyme manufacturing of substrate-specific enzymes cocktails at scale.

Enhanced cellulase production by decreasing intercellular pH through H+-ATPase gene deletion in Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30

BACKGROUND

Cellulolytic enzymes produced by Trichoderma reesei are widely used for the industrial production of biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulose. We speculated that intracellular pH during the fermentation process can affect cellulase induction.

RESULTS

In this study, two H⁺-ATPase genes, tre76238 and tre78757, were first identified in T. reesei. Deletion of tre76238 and tre78757 in T. reesei RUT-C30 confirmed that tre76238 has a major function in maintaining intracellular pH, whereas tre78757 has a minor function. The tre76238 deletion strain Δ76238 displayed a high level of cellulase production using cellulase-repressive glucose as a sole carbon source, along with intracellular acid accumulation and growth retardation. Our results indicated that intracellular acid accumulation in Δ76238 stimulated a significant increase in the cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels. Ca²⁺ channels were shown to be necessary for cellulase production using glucose as the carbon source in Δ76238. Delayed Δ76238 growth could be reversed by optimizing the medium's nitrogen sources to produce ammonia for intracellular acid neutralization in the early phase. This may be useful for scale-up of cellulase production using glucose as the carbon source.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a new perspective for significant alterations in the cellulase expression pattern of T. reesei Δ76238, indicating a new mechanism for cellulase regulation under conditions of low intracellular pH.

The pH regulator PacC: a host-dependent virulence factor in Botrytis cinerea

The phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea is able to infect a wide variety of plants and plant tissues with differing chemical compositions. During its interaction with the host, this pathogen modulates its ambient pH by secreting acids or ammonia. In this work, we examined the Pal/Pac pathway, the fungal ambient pH-responsive signalling circuit, and investigated the role of the PacC transcription factor. Characterization of the BcpacC deletion mutant revealed an alteration of both fungal growth and virulence depending on the pH of the culture medium or of the host tissue. The pathogenicity of the mutant was altered on plants exhibiting a neutral pH and not on plants with acidic tissues. The capacity of the mutant to acidify its environment and, more particularly, to produce oxalic acid was affected, as was production of reactive oxygen species. Finally, proteomic profiling of the mutant secretome revealed significant changes in plant cell wall polysaccharides proteins and lipid degradation and oxidoreduction, highlighting the importance of BcPacC in the necrotrophic lifestyle of B. cinerea.

One-step process for producing prebiotic arabino-xylooligosaccharides from brewer's spent grain employing Trichoderma species

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are prebiotic nutraceuticals that can be sourced from lignocellulosic biomass, such as agro-residues. This study reports for the first time an optimization study of XOS production from agro-residues by direct fermentation using two Trichoderma species. A total of 13 residues were evaluated as potential substrates for single-step production. The best results were found for Trichoderma reesei using brewers' spent grain (BSG) as substrate. Under optimal conditions (3 days, pH 7.0, 30 °C and 20 g/L of BSG), a production yield of 38.3 ± 1.8 mg/g (xylose equivalents/g of BSG) was achieved. The obtained oligosaccharides were identified as arabino-xylooligosacharides (AXOS) with degree of polymerization from 2 to 5. One-step fermentation proved to be a promising strategy for AXOS production from BSG, presenting a performance comparable with the use of commercial enzymes. This study provides new insights towards the bioprocess integration, enabling further developments of low-cost bioprocesses for the production of these valuable compounds.

pH-Signaling Transcription Factor AopacC Regulates Ochratoxin A Biosynthesis in Aspergillus ochraceus

In Aspergillus and Penicillium species, an essential pH-response transcription factor pacC is involved in growth, pathogenicity, and toxigenicity. To investigate the connection between ochratoxin A (OTA) biosynthesis and ambient pH, the AopacC in Aspergillus ochraceus was functionally characterized using a loss-of-function mutant. The mycelium growth was inhibited under pH 4.5 and 10.0, while the sporulation increased under alkaline condition. A reduction of mycelium growth and an elevation of sporulation was observed in Δ AopacC mutant. Compared to neutral condition, OTA contents were respectively reduced by 71.6 and 79.8% under acidic and alkaline conditions. The expression of AopacC increased with the elevated pH, and deleting AopacC dramatically decreased OTA production and biosynthetic genes Aopks expression. Additionally, the Δ AopacC mutant exhibited attenuated infection ability toward pear fruits. These results suggest that AopacC is an alkaline-induced regulator responsible for growth and OTA biosynthesis in A. ochraceus and this regulatory mechanism might be pH-dependent.

The DNA-methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine affects Humicola grisea enzyme activities and the glucose-mediated gene repression

Humicola grisea var. thermoidea (Hgvt) is a thermophilic ascomycete that produces lignocellulolytic enzymes and it is proposed for the conversion of agricultural residues into useful byproducts. Drugs that inhibit the DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) activity are employed in epigenetic studies but nothing is known about a possible effect on the production of fungal enzymes. We evaluated the effect of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza; a chemical inhibitor of DNMTs activity) on the secreted enzyme activity and on the transcription of cellulase and xylanase genes from Hgvt grown in agricultural residues and in glucose. Upon cultivation on wheat bran (WB), the drug provoked an increase in the xylanase activity at 96 h. When Hgvt was grown in glucose (GLU), a repressor of Hgvt glycosyl hydrolase genes, 5-Aza led to increased transcript accumulation for the cellobiohydrolases and for the xyn2 xylanase genes. In WB, 5-Aza enhanced the expression of the transcription factor CreA gene. Growth on WB or GLU, in presence of 5-Aza, led to a significant increase in transcripts of the pH-response regulator PacC gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the effect of a DNMT inhibitor in the production of fungal plant cell wall degradation enzymes.

The Hybrid Strategy of Thermoactinospora rubra YIM 77501T for Utilizing Cellulose as a Carbon Source at Different Temperatures

Thermoactinospora rubra YIM 77501^T is an aerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming and cellulose degrading thermophilic actinomycete isolated from a sandy soil sample of a volcano. Its growth temperature range is 28–60°C. The genomic sequence of this strain revealed that there are 27 cellulase genes belonging to six glycoside hydrolase families. To understand the strategy that this strain uses to utilize carbon sources such as cellulose at different temperatures, comparative transcriptomics analysis of T. rubra YIM 77501^T was performed by growing it with cellulose (CMC) and without cellulose (replaced with glucose) at 30, 40, and 50°C, respectively. Transcriptomic analyses showed four cellulase genes (TrBG2, TrBG3, TrBG4, and ThrCel6B) were up-regulated at 30, 40, and 50°C. The rate of gene expression of TrBG2, TrBG3, TrBG4, and ThrCel6B were 50°C > 30°C > 40°C. One cellulase gene (TrBG1) and two cellulase genes (TrBG5 and ThrCel6A) were up-regulated only at 30 and 50°C, respectively. These up-regulated cellulase genes were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzymatic properties of up-regulated cellulases showed a variety of responses to temperature. Special up-regulated cellulases TrBG1 and ThrCel6A displayed temperature acclimation for each growth condition. These expression patterns revealed that a hybrid strategy was used by T. rubra to utilize carbon sources at different temperatures. This study provides genomic, transcriptomics, and experimental data useful for understanding how microorganisms respond to environmental changes and their application in enhancing cellulose hydrolysis for animal feed and bioenergy production.

Concurrent production of cellulase and xylanase from Trichoderma reesei NCIM 1186: enhancement of production by desirability-based multi-objective method

Application of multiple response optimizations using desirability function in the production of microbial metabolites improves economy and efficiency. Concurrent production of cellulase and xylanase in Trichoderma reesei NCIM 1186 using an agricultural weed, Prosopis juliflora pods, was studied. The main aim of the study was to optimize significant medium nutrient parameters for maximization of cellulase and xylanase by multi-objective optimization strategy using biomass. Process parameters such as the nutrient concentrations (pods, sucrose, and yeast extract) and pH were investigated to improve cellulase and xylanase activities by one factor at a time approach, single response optimization and multi-objective optimization. At the corresponding optimized process parameters in single response optimization, the maximum cellulase activity observed was 3055.65 U/L where xylanase highest activity was 422.16 U/L. Similarly, the maximum xylanase activity, 444.94 U/L, was observed with the highest cellulase activity of 2804.40 U/L. The multi-objective optimization finds a tradeoff between the two objectives and optimal activity values in between the single-objective optima were achieved, 3033.74 and 439.13 U/L for cellulase and xylanase, respectively.

Trichoderma reesei xylanase 5 is defective in the reference strain QM6a but functional alleles are present in other wild-type strains

Trichoderma reesei is a paradigm for the regulation and industrial production of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. Among these, five xylanases, including the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 11 XYN1 and XYN2, the GH10 XYN3, and the GH30 XYN4 and XYN6, were described. By genome mining and transcriptome analysis, a further putative xylanase, encoded by xyn5, was identified. Analysis of xyn5 from the genome-sequenced reference strain T. reesei QM6a shows that it encodes a non-functional, truncated form of XYN5. However, non-truncated orthologues are present in other genome sequenced Trichoderma spp., and sequencing of xyn5 in other T. reesei wild-type isolates shows that they harbor a putative functional xyn5 allele. In silico analysis and 3D modeling revealed that the encoded XYN5 has significant structural similarities to xylanases of the GH11 family, including a GH-typical substrate binding groove and a carboxylate pair in the active site. The xyn5 of wild-type strain TUCIM1282 was recombinantly expressed in a T. reesei strain with a (hemi)cellulase-free background and the corresponding protein purified to apparent homogeneity. The pH and temperature optima and the kinetic parameters of the purified XYN5 were pH 4, 50 °C, and V_max = 2646 nkat/mg with a K_m of 9.68 mg/ml. This functional xyn5 allele was used to replace the mutated version which led to an overall increase of the xylanolytic activity. These findings are of particular importance as GH11 xylanases are of high biotechnological relevance, and T. reesei is one of the main industrial producers of such lignocellulose-degrading enzymes.

Deletion of pH Regulator pac-3 Affects Cellulase and Xylanase Activity during Sugarcane Bagasse Degradation by Neurospora crassa

Microorganisms play a vital role in bioethanol production whose usage as fuel energy is increasing worldwide. The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa synthesize and secrete the major enzymes involved in plant cell wall deconstruction. The production of cellulases and hemicellulases is known to be affected by the environmental pH; however, the regulatory mechanisms of this process are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of the pH regulator PAC-3 in N. crassa during their growth on sugarcane bagasse at different pH conditions. Our data indicate that secretion of cellulolytic enzymes is reduced in the mutant Δpac-3 at alkaline pH, whereas xylanases are positively regulated by PAC-3 in acidic (pH 5.0), neutral (pH 7.0), and alkaline (pH 10.0) medium. Gene expression profiles, evaluated by real-time qPCR, revealed that genes encoding cellulases and hemicellulases are also subject to PAC-3 control. Moreover, deletion of pac-3 affects the expression of transcription factor-encoding genes. Together, the results suggest that the regulation of holocellulase genes by PAC-3 can occur as directly as in indirect manner. Our study helps improve the understanding of holocellulolytic performance in response to PAC-3 and should thereby contribute to the better use of N. crassa in the biotechnology industry.

Regulators of plant biomass degradation in ascomycetous fungi

Fungi play a major role in the global carbon cycle because of their ability to utilize plant biomass (polysaccharides, proteins, and lignin) as carbon source. Due to the complexity and heterogenic composition of plant biomass, fungi need to produce a broad range of degrading enzymes, matching the composition of (part of) the prevalent substrate. This process is dependent on a network of regulators that not only control the extracellular enzymes that degrade the biomass, but also the metabolic pathways needed to metabolize the resulting monomers. This review will summarize the current knowledge on regulation of plant biomass utilization in fungi and compare the differences between fungal species, focusing in particular on the presence or absence of the regulators involved in this process.

Deciphering the molecular mechanisms behind cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei, the hyper-cellulolytic filamentous fungus

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei is a potent cellulase producer and the best-studied cellulolytic fungus. A lot of investigations not only on glycoside hydrolases produced by T. reesei, but also on the machinery controlling gene expression of these enzyme have made this fungus a model organism for cellulolytic fungi. We have investigated the T. reesei strain including mutants developed in Japan in detail to understand the molecular mechanisms that control the cellulase gene expression, the biochemical and morphological aspects that could favor this phenotype, and have attempted to generate novel strains that may be appropriate for industrial use. Subsequently, we developed recombinant strains by combination of these insights and the heterologous-efficient saccharifing enzymes. Resulting enzyme preparations were highly effective for saccharification of various biomass. In this review, we present some of the salient findings from the recent biochemical, morphological, and molecular analyses of this remarkable cellulase hyper-producing fungus.

The N-acetylglucosamine catabolic gene cluster in Trichoderma reesei is controlled by the Ndt80-like transcription factor RON1

Chitin is an important structural constituent of fungal cell walls composed of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) monosaccharides, but catabolism of GlcNAc has not been studied in filamentous fungi so far. In the yeast Candida albicans, the genes encoding the three enzymes responsible for stepwise conversion of GlcNAc to fructose-6-phosphate are clustered. In this work, we analysed GlcNAc catabolism in ascomycete filamentous fungi and found that the respective genes are also clustered in these fungi. In contrast to C. albicans, the cluster often contains a gene for an Ndt80-like transcription factor, which we named RON1 (regulator of N-acetylglucosamine catabolism 1). Further, a gene for a glycoside hydrolase 3 protein related to bacterial N-acetylglucosaminidases can be found in the GlcNAc gene cluster in filamentous fungi. Functional analysis in Trichoderma reesei showed that the transcription factor RON1 is a key activator of the GlcNAc gene cluster and essential for GlcNAc catabolism. Furthermore, we present an evolutionary analysis of Ndt80-like proteins in Ascomycota. All GlcNAc cluster genes, as well as the GlcNAc transporter gene ngt1, and an additional transcriptional regulator gene, csp2, encoding the homolog of Neurospora crassa CSP2/GRHL, were functionally characterised by gene expression analysis and phenotypic characterisation of knockout strains in T. reesei.

Time-scale dynamics of proteome and transcriptome of the white-rot fungus Phlebia radiata: growth on spruce wood and decay effect on lignocellulose

BACKGROUND

The white-rot Agaricomycetes species Phlebia radiata is an efficient wood-decaying fungus degrading all wood components, including cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. We cultivated P. radiata in solid state cultures on spruce wood, and extended the experiment to 6 weeks to gain more knowledge on the time-scale dynamics of protein expression upon growth and wood decay. Total proteome and transcriptome of P. radiata were analyzed by peptide LC-MS/MS and RNA sequencing at specific time points to study the enzymatic machinery on the fungus' natural growth substrate.

RESULTS

According to proteomics analyses, several CAZy oxidoreductase class-II peroxidases with glyoxal and alcohol oxidases were the most abundant proteins produced on wood together with enzymes important for cellulose utilization, such as GH7 and GH6 cellobiohydrolases. Transcriptome additionally displayed expression of multiple AA9 lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases indicative of oxidative cleavage of wood carbohydrate polymers. Large differences were observed for individual protein quantities at specific time points, with a tendency of enhanced production of specific peroxidases on the first 2 weeks of growth on wood. Among the 10 class-II peroxidases, new MnP1-long, characterized MnP2-long and LiP3 were produced in high protein abundances, while LiP2 and LiP1 were upregulated at highest level as transcripts on wood together with the oxidases and one acetyl xylan esterase, implying their necessity as primary enzymes to function against coniferous wood lignin to gain carbohydrate accessibility and fungal growth. Majority of the CAZy encoding transcripts upregulated on spruce wood represented activities against plant cell wall and were identified in the proteome, comprising main activities of white-rot decay.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate significant changes in carbohydrate-active enzyme expression during the six-week surveillance of P. radiata growing on wood. Response to wood substrate is seen already during the first weeks. The immediate oxidative enzyme action on lignin and wood cell walls is supported by detected lignin substructure sidechain cleavages, release of phenolic units, and visual changes in xylem cell wall ultrastructure. This study contributes to increasing knowledge on fungal genetics and lignocellulose bioconversion pathways, allowing us to head for systems biology, development of biofuel production, and industrial applications on plant biomass utilizing wood-decay fungi.

Familiar Stranger: Ecological Genomics of the Model Saprotroph and Industrial Enzyme Producer Trichoderma reesei Breaks the Stereotypes

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) has properties of an efficient cell factory for protein production that is exploited by the enzyme industry, particularly with respect to cellulase and hemicellulase formation. Under conditions of industrial fermentations it yields more than 100g secreted protein L(-1). Consequently, T. reesei has been intensively studied in the 20th century. Most of these investigations focused on the biochemical characteristics of its cellulases and hemicellulases, on the improvement of their properties by protein engineering, and on enhanced enzyme production by recombinant strategies. However, as the fungus is rare in nature, its ecology remained unknown. The breakthrough in the understanding of the fundamental biology of T. reesei only happened during 2000s-2010s. In this review, we compile the current knowledge on T. reesei ecology, physiology, and genomics to present a holistic view on the natural behavior of the organism. This is not only critical for science-driven further improvement of the biotechnological applications of this fungus, but also renders T. reesei as an attractive model of filamentous fungi with superior saprotrophic abilities.

Genome wide analysis of protein production load in Trichoderma reesei

BACKGROUND

The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (teleomorph Hypocrea jecorina) is a widely used industrial host organism for protein production. In industrial cultivations, it can produce over 100 g/l of extracellular protein, mostly constituting of cellulases and hemicellulases. In order to improve protein production of T. reesei the transcriptional regulation of cellulases and secretory pathway factors have been extensively studied. However, the metabolism of T. reesei under protein production conditions has not received much attention.

RESULTS

To understand the physiology and metabolism of T. reesei under protein production conditions we carried out a well-controlled bioreactor experiment with extensive analysis. We used minimal media to make the data amenable for modelling and three strain pairs to cover different protein production levels. With RNA-sequencing transcriptomics we detected the concentration of the carbon source as the most important determinant of the transcriptome. As the major transcriptional response concomitant to protein production we detected the induction of selected genes that were putatively regulated by xyr1 and were related to protein transport, amino acid metabolism and transcriptional regulation. We found novel metabolic responses such as production of glycerol and a cellotriose-like compound. We then used this cultivation data for flux balance analysis of T. reesei metabolism and demonstrate for the first time the use of genome wide stoichiometric metabolic modelling for T. reesei. We show that our model can predict protein production rate and provides novel insight into the metabolism of protein production. We also provide this unprecedented cultivation and transcriptomics data set for future modelling efforts.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of stoichiometric modelling can open a novel path for the improvement of protein production in T. reesei. Based on this we propose sulphur assimilation as a major limiting factor of protein production. As an organism with exceptional protein production capabilities modelling of T. reesei can provide novel insight also to other less productive organisms.