Comparative Analysis of Peniophora lycii and Trametes hirsuta Exoproteomes Demonstrates “Shades of Gray” in the Concept of White-Rotting Fungi

Abstract

White-rot basidiomycete fungi are a unique group of organisms that evolved an unprecedented arsenal of extracellular enzymes for an efficient degradation of all components of wood such as cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. The exoproteomes of white-rot fungi represent a natural enzymatic toolbox for white biotechnology. Currently, only exoproteomes of a narrow taxonomic group of white-rot fungi—fungi belonging to the Polyporales order—are extensively studied. In this article, two white-rot fungi, Peniophora lycii LE-BIN 2142 from the Russulales order and Trametes hirsuta LE-BIN 072 from the Polyporales order, were compared and contrasted in terms of their enzymatic machinery used for degradation of different types of wood substrates—alder, birch and pine sawdust. Our findings suggested that the studied fungi use extremely different enzymatic systems for the degradation of carbohydrates and lignin. While T. hirsuta LE-BIN 072 behaved as a typical white-rot fungus, P. lycii LE-BIN 2142 demonstrated substantial peculiarities. Instead of using cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic hydrolytic enzymes, P. lycii LE-BIN 2142 primarily relies on oxidative polysaccharide-degrading enzymes such as LPMO and GMC oxidoreductase. Moreover, exoproteomes of P. lycii LE-BIN 2142 completely lacked ligninolytic peroxidases, a well-known marker of white-rot fungi, but instead contained several laccase isozymes and previously uncharacterized FAD-binding domain-containing proteins.