Effect of lignocellulose-containing substrates on production of ligninolytic peroxidases in submerged cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME-446

In this study, we show that the wild-type strain Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME-446 is able to effectively produce manganese peroxidase (MnP) and lignin peroxidase (LiP) in submerged cultures under nitrogen and carbon non-limiting conditions, if the lignocellulosic substrate is added to the medium. No activity of LiP or MnP could be detected when the fungus was grown in the basal glucose–peptone–corn steep liquor medium. Only the addition of the lignocellulose-containing substrates, wheat straw or hemp woody core, to the medium led to production of the enzymes. This result strongly indicates that some compounds derived from the lignocellulosic substrates may function as inducers for production of the ligninolytic peroxidases. In the presence of the lignocellulosic substrates high amounts of organic nitrogen source (peptone; 3–4gl−1) did not repress production of the ligninolytic peroxidases, as it commonly occurs with the wild-type strains of P. chrysosporium, but instead stimulated it. A simple medium, which does not require addition of Tween 80 or oxygen purging, was developed for effective production of ligninolytic peroxidases by P. chrysosporium ME-446 in submerged culture. The medium allows simultaneous production of high activities of both MnP and LiP.