A high cellulase-producing mutant strain of Trichoderma reesei

A mutant strain with increased production of cellulolytic enzymes was induced from the good cellulase producer Trichoderma reesei QM 9414. Cellulase activities of the mutant in fermenter cultivations were increased two- to three-fold and β-glucosidase activity up to six-fold when compared to the corresponding activities produced by QM 9414.     

Effect of different carbon sources on cellulase production by Hypocrea jecorina (Trichoderma reesei) strains

The ascomycete Hypocrea jecorina, an industrial (hemi)cellulase producer, can efficiently degrade plant polysaccharides. At present, the biology underlying cellulase hyperproduction of T. reesei, and the conditions for the enzyme induction, are not completely understood. In the current study, three different strains of T. reesei, including QM6a (wild-type), and mutants QM9414 and RUT-C30, were grown on 7 soluble and 7 insoluble carbon sources, with the later group including 4 pure polysaccharides and 3 lignocelluloses. Time course experiments showed that maximum cellulase activity of QM6a and QM9414 strains, for the majority of tested carbon sources, occurred at 120 hrs, while RUT-C30 had the greatest cellulase activity around 72 hrs. Maximum cellulase production was observed to be 0.035, 0.42 and 0.33 µmol glucose equivalents using microcrystalline celluloses for QM6a, QM9414, and RUTC-30, respectively. Increased cellulase production was positively correlated in QM9414 and negatively correlated in RUT-C30 with ability to grow on microcrystalline cellulose.     

Preparation of mutants of Trichoderma reesei with enhanced cellulase production.

The development of an agar plate screening technique has allowed the isolation of a range of mutants of Trichoderma reesei capable of synthesizing cellulase under conditions of high catabolite repression. The properties of one of these mutants (NG-14) is described to illustrate the use of this technique. NG-14 produced five times the filter paper-degrading activity per ml of culture medium and twice the specific activity per mg of excreted protein in submerged culture when compared with the best existing mutant, QM9414. NG-14 also showed enhanced endo-beta-glucanase and beta-glucosidase production. Although these mutants were isolated as cellulase producers in the presence of 5% glycerol on agar plates, in similar liquid medium, NG-14 exhibits only partial derepression of the cellulase complex. Since the proportions of filter paper activity, endo-beta-glucanase, and cellobiase were not the same in mutants NG-14 and QM9414, and the yields of each enzyme under conditions repressive for cellulase synthesis were different, differential control of each enzyme of the cellulase complex is implied. These initial results suggest that the selective technique for isolating hyper-cellulase-producing mutants of Trichoderma will be of considerable use in the development of commercially useful cellulolytic strains.     

Preparation of mutants of Trichoderma reesei with enhanced cellulase production.

The development of an agar plate screening technique has allowed the isolation of a range of mutants of Trichoderma reesei capable of synthesizing cellulase under conditions of high catabolite repression. The properties of one of these mutants (NG-14) is described to illustrate the use of this technique. NG-14 produced five times the filter paper-degrading activity per ml of culture medium and twice the specific activity per mg of excreted protein in submerged culture when compared with the best existing mutant, QM9414. NG-14 also showed enhanced endo-beta-glucanase and beta-glucosidase production. Although these mutants were isolated as cellulase producers in the presence of 5% glycerol on agar plates, in similar liquid medium, NG-14 exhibits only partial derepression of the cellulase complex. Since the proportions of filter paper activity, endo-beta-glucanase, and cellobiase were not the same in mutants NG-14 and QM9414, and the yields of each enzyme under conditions repressive for cellulase synthesis were different, differential control of each enzyme of the cellulase complex is implied. These initial results suggest that the selective technique for isolating hyper-cellulase-producing mutants of Trichoderma will be of considerable use in the development of commercially useful cellulolytic strains.     

敲除组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因hdac对里氏木霉纤维素酶表达的调控作用

[背景]里氏木霉(Trichoderma reesei)是木霉属中产纤维素酶最具代表性的真菌之一,表观遗传调控是不涉及DNA序列变化的可遗传变化,组蛋白去乙酰化是其中一种。组蛋白去乙酰化酶(histone deacetylase,HDAC)负责脱乙酰化,敲除去乙酰化酶基因可引起菌株孢子、菌丝及纤维素酶活性等的一系列改变。[目的]通过敲除里氏木霉组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因(histone deacetylase,hdac)建立了里氏木霉hdac缺失突变株(T.reesei△hdac),以研究对纤维素酶基因表达的调控作用。[方法]利用Split-Maker技术构建了组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因敲除表达盒,并转化了里氏木霉T.reesei QM9414。经PCR及Southern blotting验证正确后,对突变体T.reesei△hdac连续7 d检测滤纸酶活(filter paper activity,AFP)、羧甲基纤维素钠酶活(carboxymethyl cellulase activity,CMCA),利用RT-qPCR检测纤维素酶及其相关基因cbh1、egl1和xyr1的表达。[结果]突变体T.reesei△hdac两种酶活力均显著高于出发菌株,分别高出8.00、30.00 IU/mL。突变体T.reesei△hdac纤维素酶及其相关基因cbh1、egl1和xyr1的转录水平分别为出发菌株T.reesei QM9414的6.50、6.01和4.51倍。[结论]里氏木霉中纤维素酶的基因表达明显受到组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因(hdac)的调控,这为研究里氏木霉表观遗传调控对纤维素酶的影响提供了新的证据。     

Purification and characteristics of xyloglucanase and five other cellulolytic enzymes from Trichoderma reesei QM9414

By combining anion-exchange chromatography with gel filtration, an effective method for purification of wild-type xyloglucanase and five other cellulolytic enzymes from strain QM9414 of Trichoderma reesei was established. Characterization by enzyme activity assay, SDS-PAGE, and mass spectrometry identified the purified proteins as cellobiohydrolases I and II, endoglucanases I and II, a xyloglucanase, and β-xylosidase, of which the xyloglucanase was purified for the first time from the mutant strain QM9414. This method holds great promise to study the mechanism of cellulolytic enzymes, to investigate the synergistic action between cellulase and other cellulolytic enzymes, and to better exploit enzyme preparations for degradation of lignocellulose.     

Phosphorylation positively regulates DNA binding of the carbon catabolite repressor Cre1 of Hypocrea jecorina (Trichoderma reesei)

Cre1 of the ascomycete Hypocrea jecorina is a Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger DNA-binding protein functioning as regulator for carbon catabolite repression. It represents the functional equivalent of yeast Mig1, known to be negatively regulated by the Snf1-kinase at the nuclear import level. We demonstrate that Cre1 is also a phosphoprotein, and identify Ser(241) within an acidic protein region as phosphorylation target. In contrast to Mig1 phosphorylation is required for DNA binding of Cre1. A S241E mutation mimics phosphorylation, whereas a S241A mutant protein shows phosphorylation-independent DNA binding activity, suggesting that phosphorylation is required to release Cre1 from an inactive conformation involving unphosphorylated Ser(241). Retransformation of a H. jecorina cre1-non functional mutant with Cre1-S241A leads to permanent carbon catabolite repression in cellobiohydrolase I expression. Contrary to Mig1, the amino acid sequence surrounding Ser(241) (HSNDEDD) suggests that phosphorylation may occur by a casein kinase II-like protein. This is supported by a mutation of E244V leading to loss of phosphorylation, loss of DNA binding, and gain of carbon catabolite derepression. Our results imply that the regulation of carbon catabolite repression at the level of DNA binding strongly differs between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and H. jecorina.     

Preparation of mutants ofTrichoderma viride with increased production of cellulase

Four mutant strains exhibiting increased production of cullulases were prepared by UV irradiation of conidia ofTrichoderma viride QM 9414. Selected mutants were tested for production of cellulases in submerged cultivations in shake flasks and in a 30-L fermentor in a synthetic medium containing 1 % microcrystaline cellulose as the carbon source. Some mutants showed considerable morphological differences when compared to the parent strain, the most noticeable being a higher degree of branching of the mutant hyphae. The branched mutants produced 2 to 3 times higher levels of β-glucosidase than the parent strain QM 9414.     

Heterogeneity of homologously expressed Hypocrea jecorina (Trichoderma reesei) Cel7B catalytic module.

The catalytic module of Hypocrea jecorina (previously Trichoderma reesei) Cel7B was homologously expressed by transformation of strain QM9414. Post-translational modifications in purified Cel7B preparations were analysed by enzymatic digestions, high performance chromatography, mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis. Of the five potential sites found in the wild-type enzyme, only Asn56 and Asn182 were found to be N-glycosylated. GlcNAc(2)Man(5) was identified as the predominant N-glycan, although lesser amounts of GlcNAc(2)Man(7) and glycans carrying a mannophosphodiester bond were also detected. Repartition of neutral and charged glycan structures over the two glycosylation sites mainly accounts for the observed microheterogeneity of the protein. However, partial deamidation of Asn259 and a partially occupied O-glycosylation site give rise to further complexity in enzyme preparations.     

Screening of highly cellulolytic fungi and the action of their cellulase enzyme systems

Over 100 strains of wood-rotting fungi were compared for their ability to degrade wood blocks. Some of these strains were then assayed for extracellular cellulase [1,4-(1,3;1,4)-β- -glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4] activity using a variety of different solid media containing carboxymethyl cellulose or acid swollen cellulose. The diameter of clearing on these plates gave an approximate indication of the order of cellulase activities obtained from culture filtrates of these strains. Trichoderma strains grown on Vogels medium gave the highest cellulase yields. The cellulase enzyme production of T. reesei C30 and QM9414 was compared with that of eight other Trichoderma strains. Trichoderma strain E58 had comparable endoglucanase and filter paper activities with the mutant strains while the β- -glucosidase [β- -glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21] activity was approximately six to nine times greater.     

Inductive formation of celluases by L-sorbose in Trichoderma reesei

Summary L-Sorbose, which is known as an inhibitor of -1,3-glucan synthesis in fungi, induces the production of cellulases in strains belonging to Trichoderma reesei. Especially, mutant strains PC-3–7 and X-31, which were obtained by several steps of mutation from QM 9414, have the most effective cellulase inducibility by L-sorbose comparing with other mutants of Trichoderma reesei. They synthesized cellulases effectively in liquid culture, whenever the alkaline treated sugarcane bagasse was used as a main carbon source for lowering the cost of cellulase production.     

The Snf1 kinase of the filamentous fungus Hypocrea jecorina phosphorylates regulation-relevant serine residues in the yeast carbon catabolite repressor Mig1 but not in the filamentous fungal counterpart Cre1

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the SNF1 gene product phosphorylates the carbon catabolite repressor protein Mig1 under conditions when glucose is limiting, thereby relieving the fungus from catabolite repression. We have investigated whether the corresponding counterpart of filamentous fungi-the Cre1 protein-is also phosphorylated by Snf1. To this end, snf1, an ortholog of SNF1, was isolated from the ascomycete Hypocrea jecorina. The gene encodes a protein with high similarity to Snf1 kinases from other eukaryotes in its N-terminal catalytic domain, but little similarity in the C-terminal half of the protein, albeit some short aa-areas were detected, however, which are conserved in filamentous fungi and in yeast. Expression of snf1 is independent of the carbon source. An overexpressed catalytic domain of H. jecorina Snf1 readily phosphorylated yeast Mig1, but not a Mig1 mutant form, in which all four identified Snf1 phosphorylation sites (Phi XRXXSXXX Phi) had been mutated. The enzyme did neither phosphorylate H. jecorina Cre1 nor histone H3, another substrate of Snf1 kinase in yeast. H. jecorina Snf1 also phosphorylated peptides comprising the strict Snf1 consensus, but notably did not phosphorylate peptides containing the regulatory serine residue in Cre1 (=Ser(241) in H. jecorina Cre1 and Ser(266) in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum CRE1). The use of cell-free extracts of H. jecorina as protein source for Snf1 showed phosphorylation of an unknown 36 kDa protein, which was present only in extracts from glucose-grown mycelia. We conclude that the Snf1 kinase from H. jecorina is not involved in the phosphorylation of Cre1.