Development of enzyme production technology for biorefineries in trichoderma reesei

Trichoderma reesei is a mesophilic filamentous fungus originally isolated from the Solomon Islands. Soon after discovery it was found to be efficient in the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose due to its capacity to secrete large amounts of lignocellulolytic enzymes, cellulases and hemicellulases. The enzyme cocktail produced by T. reesei is able to degrade polymeric cellulose and hemicellulose into monomeric sugars such as glucose and xylose. T. reesei is an important biotechnological workhorse for the industry producing enzymes for various applications such as the production of second generation biofuels from lignocellulosic materials. The original isolate, QM6a, has been improved by a series of strain development with the emphasis on increased protein production. Mutagenesis followed by screening has led to the isolation of carbon catabolite derepressed strains producing at least 20 times more protein than the original isolate. The whole genome sequence of T. reesei and new modern genetic engineering tools such as targeted deletion have led to the generation of a new set of improved production strains for the industry.