Project description:In the present work, Abortiporus biennis, a white-rot fungus, was studied in regard to its lignocellulolytic enzymatic potential. Secretomics analyses, combined with biochemical methods, were employed to study the enzymatic machinery of the strain, after growth in corn stover cultures and xylose-based defined media. The results revealed the presence of all the necessary enzymatic activities for complete breakdown of the lignocellulosic substrate, while the prominent role of oxidative enzymes in the lignocellulolytic strategy of the strain became evident. Two novel laccases, AbiLac1 and AbiLac2, were isolated from the culture supernatant of this fungus.
Project description:This study focused on investigating the biocatalytic potential of the white-rot basidiomycete Abortiporus biennis LGAM 436 to modify the structure of different types of PS, including amorphous film with atactic stereochemistry and commercial EPS foam. The selection of this specific strain was mainly based on a previous report by our group, focusing on the isolation of a laccase secreted by A. biennis LGAM 436, which is capable of reducing the number-average molecular weight of PS by 20% (10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137338). To expedite the process of whole cell biocatalysis, we also evaluated the addition of the phenol-rich olive-oil mill wastewater effluent (OOMW); a byproduct which can act as an inducer of oxidative enzymes such as laccases and LiPs (10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.02.042). Following the assessment of PS degradation through analyses of molar mass, the emergence of new functional groups, and alterations in surface morphology, we sought to elucidate the enzymatic activities expressed in the presence of PS. This was achieved after the secretome assessment of the basidiomycete via proteomics studies, which will pave the way for the heterologous expression of novel enzymatic activities that can synergistically act to modify and degrade polyolefin structures.