Genome sequence of the fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus, which produces cinnabarinic acid and pH- and thermo- stable laccases

Pycnoporus sanguineus, an edible mushroom, produces antimicrobial and antitumor bioactive compounds and pH- and thermo- stable laccases that have multiple potential biotechnological applications. Here we reported the complete genome of the species Pycnoporus sanguineus ACCC 51,180 by using the combination of Illumina HiSeq X Ten and the PacBio sequencing technology. The represented genome is 36.6 Mb composed of 59 scaffolds with 12,086 functionally annotated protein-coding genes. The genome of Pycnoporus sanguineus encodes at least 19 biosynthetic gene clusters for secondary metabolites, including a terpene cluster for biosynthesis of the antitumor clavaric acid. Seven laccases were identified, while 22 genes were found to be involved in the kynurenine pathway in which the intermediate metabolite 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid were catalyzed by laccases into cinnabarinic acid. This study represented the third genome of the genus Pycnoporus, and wound facilitate the exploration of useful sources from Pycnoporus sanguineus for future industrial applications.

Characterization of a robust cold-adapted and thermostable laccase from Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L10 with a strong ability for the degradation of tetracycline and oxytetracycline by laccase-mediated oxidation

A native laccase (Lac-Q) with robust cold-adapted and thermostable characteristics from the white-rot fungus Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L10 was purified, characterized, and used in antibiotic treatments. Degradation experiments revealed that Lac-Q at 10.0 U mL^-1 coupled with 1.0 mmol L^-1 ABTS could degrade 100% of the tetracycline or oxytetracycline (50 mg L^-1) within 5 min with a static incubation at 0 °C (pH 6.0). The presence of the Mn²⁺ ion inhibited the removal rate of tetracycline and oxytetracycline by the Lac-Q-ABTS system, and the presence of Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, and Fe³⁺ accelerated the removal rate of tetracycline and oxytetracycline by the Lac-Q-ABTS system. Furthermore, the growth inhibition of Bacillus altitudinis SYBC hb4 and E. coli by tetracycline antibiotics revealed that the antimicrobial activity was significantly reduced after treatment with the Lac-Q-ABTS system. Finally, seven transformation products of oxytetracycline (namely TP 445, TP 431, TP 413, TP 399, TP 381, TP 367, and TP 351) were identified during the Lac-Q-mediated oxidation process by using UPLC-MS/MS. A possible degradation pathway including deamination, demethylation, and dehydration was proposed. These results suggest that the Lac-Q-ABTS system shows a great potential for the treatment of antibiotic wastewater containing different metal ions at various temperatures.

Simultaneous removal of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, sulfamethoxazole by co-producing oxidative enzymes system of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pycnoporus sanguineus

Pycnoporus sanguineus could remove 98.5% ciprofloxacin (CIP), 96.4% norfloxacin (NOR), 100% sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and 100% their mixture through biotransformation within 2 d, while Phanerochaete chrysosporium could only remove 64.5% CIP, 73.2% NOR, and 63.3% SMX through biosorption and biotransformation within 8 d, respectively. The efficiencies of antibiotic bioremoval under co-culture were more than that under the pure culture of P. chrysosporium but less than that under the pure culture of P. sanguineus. However, only 2% CIP and 3% NOR under co-culture were detected in the mycelia. In vitro enzymatic degradation and in vivo cytochrome P450 inhibition experiments revealed that laccase and cytochrome P450 could play roles in the removal of above all antibiotics, while manganese peroxidase could only play role in SMX removal. Transformation products of CIP and NOR under the pure culture of P. chrysosporium could be assigned to three different reaction pathways: (i) defluorination or dehydration, (ii) decarboxylation, and (iii) oxidation of the piperazinyl substituent. Additionally, other pathways, (iv) monohydroxylation, and (v) demethylation or deethylation at position N₁ also occurred under the co-culture and pure culture of P. sanguineus. Antibacterial activity of antibiotics could be eliminated after treatments with pure and co-culture of P. chrysosporium and P. sanguineus. The cytotoxicity of the metabolites of SMX and NOR under co-culture was lower than that under the pure culture of P. sanguineus, indicating co-culture is a more environmentally friendly strategy to eliminate SMX and NOR.

The integrative omics of white-rot fungus Pycnoporus coccineus reveals co-regulated CAZymes for orchestrated lignocellulose breakdown

Innovative green technologies are of importance for converting plant wastes into renewable sources for materials, chemicals and energy. However, recycling agricultural and forestry wastes is a challenge. A solution may be found in the forest. Saprotrophic white-rot fungi are able to convert dead plants into consumable carbon sources. Specialized fungal enzymes can be utilized for breaking down hard plant biopolymers. Thus, understanding the enzymatic machineries of such fungi gives us hints for the efficient decomposition of plant materials. Using the saprotrophic white-rot fungus Pycnoporus coccineus as a fungal model, we examined the dynamics of transcriptomic and secretomic responses to different types of lignocellulosic substrates at two time points. Our integrative omics pipeline (SHIN+GO) enabled us to compress layers of biological information into simple heatmaps, allowing for visual inspection of the data. We identified co-regulated genes with corresponding co-secreted enzymes, and the biological roles were extrapolated with the enriched Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme (CAZymes) and functional annotations. We observed the fungal early responses for the degradation of lignocellulosic substrates including; 1) simultaneous expression of CAZy genes and secretion of the enzymes acting on diverse glycosidic bonds in cellulose, hemicelluloses and their side chains or lignin (i.e. hydrolases, esterases and oxido-reductases); 2) the key role of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMO); 3) the early transcriptional regulation of lignin active peroxidases; 4) the induction of detoxification processes dealing with biomass-derived compounds; and 5) the frequent attachments of the carbohydrate binding module 1 (CBM1) to enzymes from the lignocellulose-responsive genes. Our omics combining methods and related biological findings may contribute to the knowledge of fungal systems biology and facilitate the optimization of fungal enzyme cocktails for various industrial applications.

Enhanced Enzymatic Activity of Laccase (from Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43) Immobilized on Sputtered Nanostructured Gold Thin Films

Functionalization of thin films with organic ligands has been the subject of intense research due to their potential application as heterogeneous molecular nanosystems. In this work, self-assembled monolayers of thiols (16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid and 11-mercaptoundecanol) were used to bind laccase (from Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43) to nanostructured gold thin films obtained by DC sputtering. Sputtering power, sputtering pressure and substrate temperature were optimized to enhance the activity of the immobilized biomolecules. Scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV-vis spectroscopy were used to characterize the SAM-functionalized gold substrates. Our results demonstrate that the highest immobilized enzyme activity values can be achieved on substrates of surface roughness ˜200 nm and Au particle size of about 14 nm. The outstanding quality of the as-prepared substrates makes them particularly attractive as bionanosensors.

A Pycnoporus sanguineus laccase for denim bleaching and its comparison with an enzymatic commercial formulation

A laccase from the basidiomycete Pycnoporus sanguineus strain RVAN5 was evaluated for its ability to decolorize synthetic dyes and denim bleaching. Dye color reduction and denim bleaching were monitored at different dye concentrations and incubation times. Dye decolorization by Pycnoporus sanguineus fungal crude extract (FCE) ranged from 80 to 96% within 2-4 h at 25-65 °C. Comparable results were obtained when violuric acid (VA) was added as mediator to the FCE, however, the number of decolorized dyes increased significantly. Dye decolorization rates with VA varied of initial and final optical density (595 nm) values of 2.5-3.0 and 0.2-0.02, respectively. P. sanguineus FCE had no substantial effect on denim bleaching when used alone, notwithstanding, the mixture of FCE with VA (10 mM) showed significant denim color reduction values and considerably higher than those obtained with a bleaching enzyme from a commercial formulation; CIElab values obtained with FCE/VA mixture were of ΔL = 6.4, versus a ΔL 1.4 value obtained with an enzyme from commercial formulation.

Effect of different wavelengths of light on laccase, cellobiose dehydrogenase, and proteases produced by Cerrena unicolor, Pycnoporus sanguineus and Phlebia lindtneri

Three species of white rot fungi: Cerrena unicolor, Phlebia lindtneri and Pycnoporus sanguineus were cultured in two different media under five different lighting conditions: dark, white, red, blue, and green light. Laccase, cellobiose dehydrogenase, and protease activities were examined in the samples. Blue light efficiently boosted laccase synthesis in C. unicolor and P. sanguineus, whereas the highest activities (20 654 nkat/l) of P. lindtneri laccase were observed when this fungus was maintained in green light. On the contrary, the green light allowed obtaining the highest activities of cellobiose dehydrogenase of C. unicolor and P. lindtneri, while CDH of P. sanguineus seems to be dependent on white light. It is clearly visible that differences in protease activities are noticeable not only between the lights variants but also among the media used. However, high proteases activities are correlated with light variants inducing laccase in Lindeberg and Holm medium. Contrary to the cellulose-based medium, where they are weak in light variants that lead to high CDH activities.

Improving the performance of a biofuel cell cathode with laccase-containing culture supernatant from Pycnoporus sanguineus

Laccases are multicopper oxidoreductases that can be used in biofuel cells to improve cathode performance by cathodic oxygen reduction. Here we present a laccase from the ligninolytic white-rot fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus that, in contrast to the Trametes versicolor laccase, can be produced in the absence of inducers in a standard culture medium. After 7days of cultivation the activity of this laccase in culture supernatant reached 2.5U/ml, which is high enough for direct application of the supernatant in biofuel cells. The highest current density of 115.0±3.5μA/cm(2) at 400mV vs. SCE was obtained at pH 5 with a buckypaper cathode with a laccase-containing culture supernatant. The enzyme also showed electrocatalytic activity at pH 6 and 7. These results not only present a new cost-efficient laccase for improving cathode performance, but also show that new laccases with different catalytic properties can be suitable for biofuel cells.

Influence of process variables on the properties of laccase biobleached pulps

A laccase stage can be used as a pre-treatment of a standard chemical bleaching sequence to reduce environmental concerns associated to this process. The importance of each independent variable and its influence on the properties of the bleached pulp have been studied in depth in this work, using an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) with four independent variables (laccase, buffer, mediator and oxygen) as input. Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulp was biobleached using a laccase from Pycnoporus sanguineus and a natural mediator (acetosyringone). Later, an alkaline extraction and a hydrogen peroxide treatment were applied. Most biobleaching processes showed a decrease in kappa number and an increase in brightness with no significant impact on the viscosity values, compared with the control. Oxygen was the variable with the smallest influence on the final pulp properties while the laccase and buffer solution showed a significant influence.

Comparing cell viability and ethanol fermentation of the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on steam-exploded biomass treated with laccase

In this study, the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus CECT 10875 was compared to the industrial strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ethanol Red for lignocellulosic ethanol production. For it, whole slurry from steam-exploded wheat straw was used as raw material, and two process configurations, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and presaccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (PSSF), were evaluated. Compared to S. cerevisiae, which was able to produce ethanol in both process configurations, K. marxianus was inhibited, and neither growth nor ethanol production occurred during the processes. However, laccase treatment of the whole slurry removed specifically lignin phenols from the overall inhibitory compounds present in the slurry and triggered the fermentation by K. marxianus, attaining final ethanol concentrations and yields comparable to those obtained by S. cerevisiae.

Laccase from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus and phenolic compounds: can the efficiency of an enzyme mediator for delignifying kenaf pulp be predicted?

In this work, kenaf pulp was delignified by using laccase in combination with various redox mediators and the efficiency of the different laccase–mediator systems assessed in terms of the changes in pulp properties after bleaching. The oxidative ability of the individual mediators used (acetosyringone, syringaldehyde, p-coumaric acid, vanillin and actovanillone) and the laccase–mediator systems was determined by monitoring the oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) during process. The results confirmed the production of phenoxy radicals of variable reactivity and stressed the significant role of lignin structure in the enzymatic process. Although changes in ORP were correlated with the oxidative ability of the mediators, pulp properties as determined after the bleaching stage were also influenced by condensation and grafting reactions. As shown here, ORP measurements provide a first estimation of the delignification efficiency of a laccase–mediator system.

Laccase/HBT and laccase-CBM/HBT treatment of softwood kraft pulp: impact on pulp bleachability and physical properties

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus laccase and a chimeric laccase-CBM were applied in softwood kraft pulp biobleaching in the presence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT). The presence of CBM could enhance the laccase biobleaching potential as a decrease in the enzymatic charge and chlorine dioxide consumption, as well as an increase in pulp brightness were observed. Laccase/HBT treatment could be improved by increasing oxygen pressure from 1 to 3bar and pulp consistency from 5% to 10%. Conversely, under the same conditions, no improvement of laccase-CBM/HBT treatment was observed, indicating a different behavior of both systems. However, laccase-CBM/HBT treatment led to a better preservation of pulp properties. This effect was probably due to fiber surface modifications involving the action of the CBM. Transmission electron microscopy examination of pulp fibers indicated a retention of laccase-CBM inside the pulp fibers due to CBM binding and an increased external microfibrillation of the fibers due to enzymatic treatments.

Simultaneous laccase production and color removal by culturing fungus Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L3 in a textile wastewater effluent supplemented with a lignocellulosic waste Phragmites australis

We conducted experiments to culture Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L3 in a medium comprising an industrial waste (dye-containing textile effluent) and a lignocellulosic waste (Phragmites australis) that achieved laccase production while having the color removed from the wastewater. Our experimental results showed that the fungus grew well in liquid submerged cultivation with the diluted textile effluent as the sole culture medium, but relatively low extracellular laccase activity (1.8 U/mL) was produced. Addition of the lignocellulosic biomass enhanced laccase production and color removal. The highest laccase activity was found to be 6.5 U/mL in the presence of Phragmites australis stem. Under this condition, 70 % color removal occurred in the culture medium. This study provided an alternative novel scheme to remove color in textile wastewater while having an economic value added by producing laccase.

Screening for thermotolerant ligninolytic fungi with laccase, lipase, and protease activity isolated in Mexico

The State of Hidalgo (Mexico) has a large area of forests known as the Huasteca Hidalguense, with a large variety of microorganisms inhabiting it. They represent an important resource from the ecological and technological point of view because they can be used in a broad variety of industrial processes. Due to the climatic conditions of this region, fungi inhabiting it must be thermophile or, at least, thermotolerant, as temperatures can be higher than 45°C in the summer, declining to 20°C in the winter. Use of ligninolytic fungi relies on their capacity to produce enzymes of industrial interest, a topic that has been under continuous research by academic and industrial investigators. Among the most important enzymes are proteases that are widely used due to their biotechnological applications with a high economic impact. Other enzymes, laccases, peroxidases, and lipases are of interest for the industries of the state of Hidalgo, especially in the textile industry, specifically in effluent processing. Fungi (n=156) were collected in the Huasteca Hidalguense, of which 100 were isolated in potato-dextrose-agar covered plates and maintained in tilted tubes. Afterwards, enzymatic activity (laccase, protease and lipase) was determined in the plates. The purpose was to select those fungi with the highest potential for biotechnological applications. Fungi generally grew at either 30°C or 37°C, and for some isolates enzymatic activities were detected at this higher temperature. Results are presented as the relation between enzymatic activity and growth rate: 60 fungi presented laccase activity, 49 had lipase activity, and none had protease activity. In most cases, enzymatic activity was higher than the growth rate, indicating that the isolated fungi have a great biotechnological potential. Statistical analysis revealed that isolates 31 (Trametes) and 8.1 (unidentified) have a larger potential to be studied as laccase-producing fungi. On the other hand, isolates 144.2 (Fomes), 154 (Trametes), and 147.2 (Pycnoporus) are of interest as lipase activity producers, an activity scarcely studied in this type of microorganisms.

Purification and characterisation of lignin peroxidase from Pycnoporus sanguineus MTCC-137

Extracellular secretion of lignin peroxidase from Pycnoporus sanguineus MTCC-137 in the liquid culture growth medium amended with lignin containing natural sources has been shown. The maximum secretion of lignin peroxidase has been found in the presence of saw dust. The enzyme has been purified to homogeneity from the culture filtrate of the fungus using ultrafiltration and anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The purified lignin peroxidase gave a single protein band in sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis corresponding to the molecular mass 40 kDa. The K(m)(, kcat) and k(cat)/K(m) values of the enzyme using veratryl alcohol and H2O2 as the substrate were 61 microM, 2.13 s(-1), 3.5 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 71 microM, 2.13 s(-1), 3.0 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) respectively at the optimum pH of 2.5. The temperature optimum of the enzyme was 25 degrees C.

On hexenuronic acid (HexA) removal and mediator coupling to pulp fiber in the laccase/mediator treatment

Flax soda/AQ pulps were treated with different fungal laccase-mediator combinations followed by physical and chemical characterization of the pulps to obtain a thorough understanding of the laccase/mediator effects on hexenuronic acid (HexA) removal and the coupling of mediator onto pulps for fiber functionalization. Large differences were found and the presence of lauryl gallate (LG) during Trametes villosa laccase (TvL) treatment (TvL+LG) resulted in a much larger reduction of pulp-linked HexA than the combination of p-coumaric acid (PCA) and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus laccase (PcL). A major portion of LG became attached to the pulp as revealed by an increase in the kappa number and further confirmed by thioacidolysis and (1)H NMR analysis of solubilized pulp fractions. Additional experiments with other chemical pulps and isolated pulp xylan and lignin revealed that HexA seems to be the sole pulp component attacked by TvL+LG. As a substrate for TvL, the reaction preference order is PCA>HexA>LG.

Pycnoporus laccase-mediated bioconversion of rutin to oligomers suitable for biotechnology applications

The Pycnoporus fungi are white-rot basidiomycetes listed as food- and cosmetic-grade microorganisms. Three high redox potential laccases from Pycnoporus coccineus and Pycnoporus sanguineus were tested and compared, with the commercial Suberase® as reference, for their ability to synthesise natural active oligomers from rutin (quercetin-3-rutinoside, one of the best-known naturally occurring flavonoid glycosides). The aim of this work was to develop a process with technical parameters (solvent, temperature, reaction time and raw materials) that were easy to scale up for industrial production and compatible with cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulation guidelines. The aqueous mixture of glycerol/ethanol/buffer described in this study met this requirement and allowed the solubilisation of rutin and its oxidative bioconversion into oligomers. The four flavonoid oligomer mixtures synthesised using laccases as catalysts were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-negative electrospray ionisation-multistage mass spectrometry. Their chromatographic elution profiles were compared and 16 compounds were characterised and identified as dimers and trimers of rutin. The oligorutins were different in Suberase® and Pycnoporus laccase reaction mixtures. They were evaluated for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing activities on specific enzymatic targets such as cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and human matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3). Expressed in terms of IC(50), the flavonoid oligomers displayed a 2.5- to 3-fold higher superoxide scavenging activity than monomeric rutin. Pycnoporus laccase and Suberase® oligorutins led to an inhibition of COX-2 of about 35% and 70%, respectively, while monomeric rutin showed a near-negligible inhibition effect, less than about 10%. The best results on MMP-3 activity were obtained with rutin oligomers from P. sanguineus IMB W006-2 laccase and Suberase® with about 70-75% inhibition.

Enzymatic grafting of simple phenols on flax and sisal pulp fibres using laccases

Flax and sisal pulps were treated with two laccases (from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, PcL and Trametes villosa, TvL, respectively), in the presence of different phenolic compounds (syringaldehyde, acetosyringone and p-coumaric acid in the case of flax pulp, and coniferaldehyde, sinapaldehyde, ferulic acid and sinapic acid in the case of sisal pulp). In most cases the enzymatic treatments resulted in increased kappa number of pulps suggesting the incorporation of the phenols into fibres. The covalent binding of these compounds to fibres was evidenced by the analysis of the treated pulps, after acetone extraction, by pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the absence and/or in the presence of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) as methylating agent. The highest extents of phenol incorporation were observed with the p-hydroxycinnamic acids, p-coumaric and ferulic acids. The present work shows for the first time the use of analytical pyrolysis as an effective approach to study fibre functionalization by laccase-induced grafting of phenols.

Laccase-catalyzed carbon-nitrogen bond formation: coupling and derivatization of unprotected L-phenylalanine with different para-hydroquinones

Unprotected L-phenylalanine was derivatized by an innovative enzymatic method by means of laccases from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus and Myceliophthora thermophila. During the incubation of L-phenylalanine with para-hydroquinones using laccase as biocatalyst, one or two main products were formed. Dependent on the substitution grade of the hydroquinones mono- and diaminated products were detected. Differences of the used laccases are discussed. The described reactions are of interest for the derivatization of amino acids and a synthesis of pharmacological-active amino acid structures in the field of white biotechnology.