微生物法降解木质素的研究进展

生物质是代替石化资源生产能源和化学品的关键资源,木质素作为植物细胞壁的主要成分已经在很多行业中得到了广泛的应用。然而,由于木质素结构复杂且难以降解,成为生物质资源利用的最大障碍,因此,去除或者降解木质素是利用细胞壁中其他成分的关键步骤。许多行业使用有害化学物质降解木质素,严重危害了生态环境,自然界中木质素经常被包括真菌和细菌在内的微生物降解,因此,研究微生物降解木质素的机制为解决这一问题提供了可能性。本文讨论了木质素的化学组成成分,重点讨论了自然界降解木质素的微生物种类及其降解机制,包括各种真菌和细菌的木质素降解活性,描述了由各种微生物特别是白腐真菌、褐腐真菌和细菌产生的木质素降解酶,并展望了今后木质素生物降解的研究和应用的可能方向。     

微生物降解秸秆木质素的研究进展

我国秸秆资源丰富，每年产生逾8亿t作物秸秆。通过秸秆直接还田或肥料化还田不仅可以减少化肥的施用量，缓解农业污染压力，还能实现农作物秸秆的循环利用。木质素结构复杂，且与纤维素和半纤维素相互缠绕，因此秸秆的自然腐解过程中，木质素是主要的限速因子，为了提高降解效率，木质素降解菌的发掘和降解机制也逐渐成为研究热点。本文综述了降解木质素的真菌和细菌的研究现状，对比其真菌和细菌降解特性的优缺点并分析复合降解菌群的优势。随后对木质素降解酶系的酶学性质、在不同微生物中的表达特性进行总结，对木质素降解机制及衍生芳烃代谢路径的研究进展进行综述。最后整理木质素降解微生物在秸秆肥料化技术中的应用进展，并探讨了微生物降解秸秆木质素的应用前景和未来的研究方向。     

白腐菌木质素降解酶及其在木质素降解过程中的相互作用

木质素是一类不易降解的生物物质,在自然界中,白腐真菌对木质素的降解能力最强.白腐真菌降解木质素主要依靠分泌的三种酶:木质素过氧化物酶(Lip)、锰过氧化物酶(MnP)和漆酶(Lac).对白腐真菌分泌的三种木质素降解酶在性质、分布等方面进行了比较,系境地介绍三种木质素降解酶的催化作用,并阐述其在木质素降解过程中的相互作用.     

堆肥化中木质素的生物降解

木质素是堆肥化原料中一种重要的限速高聚物,其有效降解对堆肥化速度、堆肥质量有重要作用.综述了堆肥化中木质素生物降解的研究进展,包括堆肥化中降解木质素的微生物种类及其降解过程和机理,以及木质素的降解与堆肥化中腐殖质形成的关系.     

低温秸秆降解微生物菌剂的研究进展

秸秆的成分主要有纤维素、半纤维素和木质素等,降解秸秆的微生物包括细菌、放线菌和真菌。低温秸秆降解微生物的选育方法有直接从自然界中筛选、诱变育种、原生质体融合育种、基因工程育种等。目前,筛选获得的低温秸秆降解菌株的数量有限,降解秸秆的能力不高,低温条件下菌株的降解机理都需要进一步的研究。综述了低温条件下秸秆降解微生物菌剂的研究进展。     

木质素生物降解与纸浆工业废水脱色

主要工业废水之一的纸浆工业废水中的木质素类有色物质的去除一直倍受关注。本文主要综述了木质素降解微生物、影响木质素降解的因素、木质素降解酶类及其基因工程研究和纸浆工业废水的固定化真菌法和酶法脱色。     

能源上的应用

将22种担子菌纲真菌(大部分为白腐真菌)培养在小麦秸杆上。记录了木质素、纤维素和半纤维素的降解,以确定在木质素中生长最好的种。侧耳Pleuritus sp.florida在所有试验的真菌中显示出最快的去木质作用。     

对污染物有独特降解作用的白腐真菌

简述了白腐真菌对木质素的特殊降解过程,进而讨论了该真菌在降解污染物及造纸制浆方面可能的潜在用途。     

木质素芳香族化合物降解菌Sphingobium sp. SYK-6的研究进展

木质素是木质的主要成分之一,在自然界中,高分子木质素被真菌的胞外酶分解成低分子芳香族化合物,然后土壤细菌将其完全降解为二氧化碳。由此可见,木质素的完全降解过程是真菌和细菌的共同作用。研究细菌的降解机制,一方面可以理解芳香族化合物在生态系中的碳素循环,另一方面可以为木质素的有效利用提供基因和酶工具,将可再生资源的木质素转化成高附加价值的工业产品。Sphingobium sp.SYK-6是1987年从造纸厂废水中以木质素中的联苯化合物(5,5’-脱氢联香草酸)作为唯一碳源分离出的木质素化合物降解菌。在长达25年以上的研究中我们阐明了一系列芳香族化合物的代谢途径,克隆了相关基因,2012年随着基因组测序的完成,整个降解功能的全貌展现出来。介绍内容:(1)基因组信息;(2)芳醚化合物代谢;(3)联苯化合物代谢;(4)阿魏酸代谢;(5)木质素化合物降解过程中四氢叶酸依赖型机制;(6)原儿茶酸4,5开环途径;(7)3-甲氧基没食子酸代谢的多样性;(8)应用研究。我们希望SYK-6菌株成为一个让人们理解木质素化合物降解的模式菌株。最后结合课题组现在的研究课题展望了木质素化合物的降解研究的发展方向。     

细菌降解木质素的研究进展

木质素是自然界最丰富的芳香化合物,其分解与陆地上碳循环密切相关。提取木质纤维素中的葡萄糖使其转化成乙醇,是生产第二代生物能源的关键步骤。但是由于木质素是一种非常稳定的化合物,难以降解是实现生物乙醇转化的主要屏障,因此关于木质素的生物降解研究具有非常重要的意义。真菌降解木质素的研究已经深入的进行了多年,并取得丰富的成果,但是关于细菌降解木质素的研究还处在初级阶段。由于广泛的生长条件和良好的环境适应能力,细菌在木质素降解方面深受研究人员的关注。本文通过总结前人的研究成果,讨论了木质素的降解机制、代谢途径及细菌降解木质素的工业应用前景,同时还展望了分子生物学及生物信息学在木质素降解方面的应用前景。     

Degradation of synthetic lignin by the protoplasts of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in the presence of lignin peroxidase or manganese peroxidase

Lignin was mineralized in the experiments in which ¹⁴C-lignin was incubated with lignin peroxidase or manganese peroxidase in a tartrate buffer in the presence of cycloheximide-treated protoplasts obtained from the ligninolytic mycelia of Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The rate of lignin mineralization was dependent on the lignin peroxidase or manganese peroxidase concentration in the medium. In the experiments in which lignin was incubated with lignin peroxidase or manganese peroxidase, lignin was repolymerized irrespective of the presence of protoplasts mineralizing lignin, suggesting that an active degradation of lignin and repolymerization took place. Taking into account that lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase were the only extracellular enzymes in the experiments in which lignin was mineralized by the protoplasts, it is postulated that lignin peroxidase and/or manganese peroxidase can degrade lignin into small fragments which can then be further absorbed by the fungal cells and subsequently degraded to CO₂.     

Influence of lignin peroxidase concentration and localisation in lignin biodegradation by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Summary The lignin mineralization rate in cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium increases with lignin peroxidase concentration up to 20 nkat ml^–1. At higher concentrations the rate of lignin mineralization decreases with increasing lignin peroxidase concentration. The amount of mycelium is not a limiting factor for lignin mineralization at high exocellular lignin peroxidase in association with the mycelium as pellets and no free exocellular enzyme induce a lignin mineralization rate equivalent to cultures reconstituted with washed pellets supplemented with 15 nkat ml^–1 of exogenous free enzyme. These results show that although lignin degradation by lignin peroxidase seems to be facilitated when lignin peroxidase is localised on the surface of the mycelium, free exocellular lignin peroxidase can also efficiently enhance mineralization of lignin by P. chrysosporium.     

The role of of laccase in lignification

The enzymatic mechanism of monolignol polymerization in lignin biosynthesis is not known, although it has been the subject of significant interest for more than 60 years. Peroxidase had been considered to be the exclusive plant enzyme involved in the oxidative polymerization of lignin precursors. Recently, laccase and laccase-like oxidase activities have been associated with lignification. Laccase is bound to lignifying plant cell walls and can polymerize lignin precursors in vitro . Strong circumstantial evidence from different species implicates this enzyme in the polymerization of lignin precursors. Lignin has a complex structure and it has been difficult to analyze the heterogeneity of lignin by chemical and physical techniques. If lignin precursors are polymerized by enzymes that differ in their catalytic properties, then lignin heterogeneity could be produced by differential expression of multiple enzymes during plant development. When laccase genes are correctly identified, these ideas can be tested in genetic experiments where gain or loss of function can be predicted by the presence or absence of the functional gene.     

Effect of steam explosion on biodegradation of lignin in wheat straw

The effect of steam explosion pretreatment on biodegradation of lignin in wheat straw was studied in this paper. Through experiments and analysis, 0.8MPa operation pressure and 1:20 wheat straw to water ratio are optimum for destroying lignin and the maximum of lignin loss rate is 19.94%. After steam explosion pretreatment, the wheat straw was retted by Trametes versicolor for 40 days. Biodegradation rate of lignin was tested and the maximum of 55.40% lignin loss rate was found on day 30. During the whole process of both steam explosion pretreatment and biodegradation, 75.34% lignin was degraded, without steam explosion the biodegradation of raw material the degradation rate of lignin was 31.23% only. FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA and SEM were used for further validating the results of biodegradation.     

Ectopic deposition of lignin in the pith of stems of two Arabidopsis mutants

The biosynthesis of lignin in vascular plants is regulated both developmentally and environmentally. In the inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis, lignin is mainly deposited in the walls of xylem cells and interfascicular fiber cells during normal plant growth and development. The mechanisms controlling the spatial deposition of lignin remain unknown. By screening ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized populations of Arabidopsis, we have isolated two allelic elp1 (ectopic deposition of lignin in pith) mutants with altered lignin deposition patterns. In elp1 stems, lignin was ectopically deposited in the walls of pith parenchyma cells in addition to its normal deposition in the walls of xylem and fiber cells. Lignin appeared to be deposited in patches of parenchyma cells in the pith of both young and mature elp1 stems. The ectopic deposition of lignin in the pith of elp1 stems was accompanied by an increase in the activities of enzymes in the lignin biosynthetic pathway and with the ectopic expression of caffeoyl coenzyme A O-methyltransferase in pith cells. These results indicate that the ELP1 locus is involved in the repression of the lignin biosynthetic pathway in the pith. Isolation of the elp1 mutants provides a novel means with which to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the spatial control of lignification.     

溶液中木质素和葡萄糖的超滤分离

以木质素和葡萄糖的混合溶液为木质纤维素水解液模型,采用截留相对分子质量为5 000的卷式聚醚砜膜对葡萄糖和木质素进行全回流模式的分离,探讨了木质素和葡萄糖浓度、操作压力、错流速率对通量、木质素和葡萄糖截留率的影响。结果表明:在实验条件范围内,通量随葡萄糖浓度和木质素浓度的增加而降低,并随操作压力、错流速率的增加而增加。木质素截留率不受任何条件的影响,基本稳定在97%。葡萄糖截留率随木质素浓度的增加而增加,并随错流速率的增加而减小。在0.8 g/L的木质素质量浓度条件下,当错流速率从0.12 m/s增加到0.17 m/s时,葡萄糖截留率从14%减小到7.3%。由此可见,在混合溶液的超滤过程中,通过合理选择错流速率,能够改善木质素和葡萄糖的分离。     

In vitro degradation of natural insoluble lignin in aqueous media by the extracellular peroxidases of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The lignin peroxidases (LIP) and manganese peroxidases (MNP) of Phanerochaete chrysosporium catalyze a wide range of lignin depolymerization reactions with lignin models and synthetic lignins in solution. However, their ability to degrade insoluble natural lignin in aqueous media has not been demonstrated. Insoluble isolated poplar lignin similar to natural lignin was treated in vitro in aqueous media for 12 h with LIP, MNP, and both. Treatment with MNP alone slightly increased the solid mass and produced measurable amounts of lignin-derived 2,6-dimethoxyhydroquinone and 2-methoxyhydroquinone but did not appreciably decrease the total lignin content. Treatment with LIP alone did not decrease the mass but produced measurable amounts of lignin-derived p-hydroxybenzoic acid and slightly decreased the lignin content. Finally, treatment with LIP and MNP together decreased the solid mass by 11%, decreased the lignin content by 5%, and released low-concentration compounds with mass spectra containing the typical lignin-derived electron-impact fragments of mass 107, 137, 151, 167, and 181. These results suggest that MNP increases the effectiveness of LIP-mediated lignin degradation.     

Changes in lignin content of leaf litters during mulching

Alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation, ozonation and methoxyl content determinations were applied to decomposing leaf litter of Ginkgo biloba L., Cinnamomum camphora sieb., Zelkova serrata Makino and Firmiana simplex W. F. Wight, respectively, during mulching to investigate the properties and estimate changes in lignin composition and content. Since the Klason lignin residue originated from components highly resistant to degradation by acid, the methoxyl content of Klason residue was used to estimate the lignin content of leaf litter. Quantitative analysis of presumed lignin-derived fragments, by use of alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation and ozonation methods, suggested that the estimated lignin content approximates that of the real lignin content of leaves, which is greatly overestimated by the Klason procedure. The estimated lignin contents ranged from 3.9 to 10.0% while the Klason lignan residue varied from 37.1 to 46.7% in un-mulched leaf litter. The absolute amounts of the measured lignin somewhat decreased during mulching, while the structure of lignin remaining in leaf litters after mulching was considered not to be very different from its original structure.     

The formation of strong intermolecular interactions in immiscible blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and lignin

The intermolecular interactions of lignin with a hydrophilic polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), were studied using thermal analyses and FT-IR spectroscopy of a series of PVA/hardwood kraft lignin blend fibers prepared by thermal extrusion. Although two phases are observed in this blend system, some of the lignin was closely associated with the PVA in the PVA-rich phase. The crystallinity of the PVA fraction was reduced with increasing lignin content. An interaction energy density of -9.34 cal cm(-1), calculated from melting point depression data, suggests that strong intermolecular interactions exist between PVA and lignin. FT-IR analysis indicates the formation of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups of PVA and lignin. Although the PVA/lignin blend system is immiscible in the bulk, the results herein show the existence of some specific intermolecular interaction between PVA and lignin.     

Dual methylation pathways in lignin biosynthesis

Caffeoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) has been proposed to be involved in an alternative methylation pathway of lignin biosynthesis. However, no direct evidence has been available to confirm that CCoAOMT is essential for lignin biosynthesis. To understand further the methylation steps in lignin biosynthesis, we used an antisense approach to alter O-methyltransferase (OMT) gene expression and investigated the consequences of this alteration. We generated transgenic tobacco plants with a substantial reduction in CCoAOMT as well as plants with a simultaneous reduction in both CCoAOMT and caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (CAOMT). Lignin analysis showed that the reduction in CCoAOMT alone resulted in a dramatic decrease in lignin content. The reduction in CCoAOMT also led to a dramatic alteration in lignin composition. Both guaiacyl lignin and syringyl lignin were reduced in the transgenic plants. However, guaiacyl lignin was preferentially reduced, which resulted in an increase in the S/G (syringl/guaiacyl) ratio. We have also analyzed lignin content and composition in transgenic plants having a simultaneous reduction in both CCoAOMT and CAOMT. The reduction in both OMTs resulted in a further decrease in total lignin content. This is in sharp contrast to the effect that resulted from the reduction in CAOMT alone, which only decreased the syringl lignin unit without a reduction in overall lignin content. These results unequivocally demonstrate that methylation reactions in lignin biosynthesis are catalyzed by both CCoAOMT and CAOMT.