Growth of marine fungi on polymeric substrates

Abstract

BackgroundMarine 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.ResultsCalcarisporium 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.ConclusionsMarine 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.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12896-016-0233-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transformation of humic substances by the freshwater Ascomycete Cladosporium sp.

“…In this study, we showed the ability of some aquatic Ascomycetes to degrade large polymers. This is consistent with previous works showing the capacity of members of the phylum Ascomycota to degrade different types of polymeric substances including, i.e., aromatic hydrocarbons and synthetic azo and anthraquinones (Junghanns et al ; Aranda ; Wang et al ). Additionally, considering that a large proportion of aquatic fungi belongs to this phylum, while Basidiomycota are less represented in this environment (Shearer et al ; Bärlocher and Boddy ), it is likely that members of Ascomycota might dominate fungal processing of HS in aquatic systems.…”

Environmental Sustainability and Mold Hygiene in Buildings

“…There are limited studies about the ecological and physiological features of Tritirachium . It has been isolated from the sea, plant and soil [ 22 ]. It is not a common indoor mold.…”

Biotechnology Potential of Marine Fungi Degrading Plant and Algae Polymeric Substrates

“…Marine fungi also produced enzymatically active cellulases and laccases, or some specific GHs related to the marine origin, when agricultural plant or waste (cotton seed, sugarcane bagasse, rice bran, waste paper, cellulose, sisal waste, molasses spent wash, black liquor, etc. ), or algal polysaccharides were added into the growth medium ( Raghukumar, 2008 ; D’Souza-Ticlo et al, 2009 ; Ravindran et al, 2010 ; Rodriguez-Jasso et al, 2010 ; Zhang and Kim, 2010 ; Chen et al, 2011 ; Faten and Abeer, 2013 ; Bonugli-Santos et al, 2015 ; Hong et al, 2015 ; Wang et al, 2016 ; Balabanova et al, 2018 ). The capability of metabolic utilization of plant or macroalgae polysaccharides allows for an increase in the production of fungal biomass enriched by mycelium proteins and extracellular enzymes that can be used in animal or fish feeding, or in the bioremediation of soils and water (Supplementary Table 1 ).…”

“…KF525, S. brevicaulis LF580, and Tritirachium sp. LF562 as well as isolates from other experiment, A. oryzae and Dendryphiella salina , produced biomass from alginate ( Moen et al, 1995 ; Singh et al, 2011 ; Wang et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Many extra- and intracellular enzymes of marine fungi such as GHs, nucleases, proteases, and lipases involved in the degradation of cell walls, DNA, proteins, and other organic matter have been structurally or/and biochemically characterized and showed the higher specific activity and effectiveness in comparison with those from their terrestrial counterparts ( Nielsen et al, 2007 ; Kamat et al, 2008 ; Beena et al, 2011 ; Harms et al, 2011 ; Balabanova et al, 2012 ; van Leeuwen et al, 2012 ). In addition, marine fungi can produce enzymes with unique specificity toward the marine polymeric substrates such as laminarins, fucoidans, ulvans, carragenans, and agar ( Bonugli-Santos et al, 2015 ; Wang et al, 2016 ). In particular, the ability to decompose brown algae is the most valuable.…”