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Title: CELLULASE FORMATION BY SPECIES OF TRICHODERMA SECT. LONGIBRACHIATUM AND OF HYPOCREA SPP. WITH ANAMORPHS REFERABLE TO TRICHODERMA SECT. LONGIBRACHIATUM

Author
item KUBICEK, CHRISTIAN - INST. FOR BIOCHEMISTRY
item BOLZBAUER, ULRIKE - INST. FOR BIOCHEMISTRY
item KOVACS, WERNER - INST FOR BIOCHEMISTRY
item MACH, ROBERT - INST. FOR BIOCHEMISTRY
item KUHLS, KATRIN - INSTITUTE FOR GENETICS
item LIECKFELDT, ELKE - INST. FOR GENETICS
item BORNER, THOMAS - INST. FOR GENETICS
item Samuels, Gary

Submitted to: Fungal Genetics and Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/19/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Cellulase is used in a number of agricultural and industrial processes. New sources of cellulase are sought after particularly among the fungi belonging to the genus Trichoderma. This paper evaluates the cellulase formation by strains of these fungi from throughout the world. It was determined that strains of Trichoderma derived from Hypocrea jecorina produced the highest levels of cellulase. Cellulase production by these fungal strains exceeded levels achieved for the most productive strains known previous to this study. These fungi occur primarily in Asia. This research is useful to those seeking fungal strains that produce high levels of cellulase.

Technical Abstract: The cellulolytic potential of the wild-type strain of Trichoderma reesei was compared to other members of Trichoderma sect. Longibrachiatum, and Hypocrea spp. that have anamorphs referable to that section. High cellulase activities were observed for several strains of T. longibrachiatum and T. citrinovirde, whereas T. parceramosum formed only low levels of activity. Among the corresponding teleomorphs, most strains of H. schweinitzii were comparatively poor producers, whereas the highest percentage of high producers was found among H. jecorina isolates, and many strains were even more active than the parent T. reesei QM 6a. Immunoblot analysis of corresponding culture filtrates of various H. jecorina strains showed that the three major cellulase proteins (cellobiohydrolase I, cellobiohydrolase II, and endoglucanase I) were present in culture filtrates and their Mr was identical to that of the respective T. reesei proteins. With the aid of primers, corresponding to conserved sequences in the cellobiohydrolase I- encoding gene cbhl, a fragment of this gene was amplified from selected strains of H.jecorina, T. reesei, T. longibrachiatum, T. citrinoviride and H. schweinitzii. Cleavage of this fragment with HhaI produced a RFLP pattern which was identical in H. jecorina and T. reesei, but different in the other species. In the latter,the RFLP pattern was also species specific. These results provide support for a close genetic similarity of T. reesei and H. jecorina cellulases.In the latter, an ascomycetous model system for cellulase biosynthesis is now available. The results further indicate that other anamorphs of Trichoderma section Longibrachiatum are promising sources of high cellulase production.