Use of lytic enzymes for protoplast production in Trichoderma reesei QM9414

The growth of Trichoderma harzianum on its own cell wall material produced various lytic enzymes, viz. β-1,3-glucanase, α-1,3-glucanase, exo-β-1,4-glucanase, endo-β-1,4-glucanase, β-1,4-glucosidase, chitinase, and protease. These enzymes were best produced on the cell wall material prepared from complete mycelial mats of T. harzianum, though preparations from vegetative hyphae and spores only were also good inducers. The lytic enzymes extract thus produced, after partial purification and lyophilization, could not produce protoplasts from 20-h-old mycelium of T. reesei QM9414. However, when supplemented with commercial chitinase preparation, the above lytic extract was able to generate protoplasts. This suggests that T. harzianum lytic extract, if combined with a chitinase preparation, may be capable of protoplast generation from T. reesei QM9414.