Abstract
Background: Marine fungi are a diverse group of
opportunistic and obligate organisms isolated from marine
environments. These fungi are now often included in
screens for novel metabolites, while less attention has
been given to their production of hydrolytic enzymes.
Most enzymes derived from marine microorganisms have been
obtained from marine bacteria. The enzymes produced by
marine fungi may have different properties than those
derived from bacteria or from terrestrial fungi. Here we
assess the growth of six filamentous marine fungi on a
wide range of polymeric substrates as an indication of
their general capacity to produce hydrolytic enzymes.
Results: Calcarisporium sp. KF525, Tritirachium sp.
LF562, Bartalinia robillardoides LF550, Penicillium
pinophilum LF458, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis LF580 and
Pestalotiopsis sp. KF079 all grew on both casein and
gelatin as N-source, indicating secretion of proteases.
All species also grew on starch, laminarin, xylan, pectin
and oil, indicating production of amylases, glucanases,
xylanases, pectinases and lipases. Growth on cellulose
occurred but was weaker than on xylan. All strains also
grew to some extent on sulphated arabinogalactan,
although only LF562 could utilise arabinose. Four strains
grew on the sulphated ulvans, whereas only KF525 grew on
agar or carrageenan. KF525 and LF562 showed limited
growth on alginate. Although fucose was used as carbon
source by several species, fucoidan did not support
biomass production. Conclusions: Marine fungi could be
excellent sources of a wide range of hydrolytic enzymes,
including those able to hydrolyse various seaweed
polymers. Although the native hosts may secrete only
small amounts of these enzymes, the genes may provide a
rich source of novel enzymes.
Original language | English |
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Journal | BMC Biotechnology |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- Bartalinia
- Calcarisporium
- Hydrolytic enzymes
- Marine fungi
- Penicillium
- Pestalotiopsis
- Radial growth rate
- Scopulariopsis
- Tritirachium