RESEARCH: Development of a mature fungal technology and production platform for industrial enzymes based on a <i>Myceliophthora thermophila</i> isolate, previously known as <i>Chrysosporium lucknowense</i> C1

Abstract

The filamentous fungus C1 was developed into an expression platform for screening and production of diverse industrial enzymes. C1 shows a lowviscosity morphology in submerged culture, enabling the use of complex growth and production media. This morphology furthermore allowed C1 to be used as a host for high-throughput robotic screening of gene libraries. A C1-genetic toolbox was developed, which enabled the generation of a large collection of dedicated C1 host strains and gene-expression strategies. The 38 Mbp genome was sequenced and found to be rich in biomass-hydrolyzing-enzyme-encoding genes. C1 production strains have been developed that produce large quantities of these enzyme mixtures (up to 100 g/L total protein). Recombinant C1 strains were constructed that produce single enzymes in a relatively pure form, facilitating enzyme purification and characterization, as well as for commercial applications. Molecular phylogenetic studies revealed that C1, previously classified as Chrysosporium lucknowense based on morphological characteristics, is actually a Myceliophthora thermophila isolate. In addition, C1 has proven to be a source of novel industrial enzymes, and the C1-technology platform developed has been applied as a tool for research on and production of industrial enzymes for various industrial applications, such as biofuels and biorefineries.