Four laccase isozymes (LCC1, LCC2, LCC3 and LCC4) synthesized by Pleurotus ostreatus strain V-184 were purified and characterized. LCC1 and LCC2 have molecular masses of about 60 and 65 kDa and exhibited the same pI value (3.0). Their N termini were sequenced, revealing the same amino acid sequence and homology with laccases from other microorganisms. Laccases LCC3 and LCC4 were characterized by SDS-PAGE, estimating their molecular masses around 80 and 82 kDa, respectively. By native isoelectrofocusing, their pI values were 4.7 and 4.5, respectively. When staining with ABTS and guaiacol in native polyacrilamide gels, different specificities were observed for LCC1/LCC2 and LCC3/ LCC4 isozymes.

A new lignin-degrading basidiomycete, strain I-62 (CECT 20197), isolated from decayed wood exhibited both a high dephenolization activity and decolorization capacity when tested on effluents from the sugar cane by-product fermentation industry. It has been classified as a member of the Polyporaceae family. The major ligninolytic activity detected in culture supernatants of basidiomycete I-62 was a phenoloxidase (laccase), in conjunction with small amounts of manganese peroxidase. No lignin peroxidase was detected. Laccase activity was produced in either defined or complete media. Addition of veratryl alcohol as the inducer, in defined medium, enhanced laccase production 10-fold. The use of fructose instead of glucose as a carbon source resulted in a 100-fold increase in laccase specific activity. Native isoelectrofocusing gels stained with guaiacol revealed the presence of at least seven laccase isozymes, with the most intense band being detected at pI 3. Southern hybridization analysis indicated the presence of a laccase gene family in strain I-62. Three different genes coding for phenoloxidases, lcc1, lcc2, and lcc3, were cloned and characterized. The high degree of homology between laccases from strain I-62 and laccases from Trametes species suggests a phylogenetic proximity between this new isolated fungus and the genus Trametes.

A family of genes encoding laccases has recently been described for the basidiomycete I-62 (CECT 20197). Transcript levels of geneslcc1, lcc2, and lcc3 were analyzed under four different culture conditions to study their expression patterns. Two of the laccase genes were clearly inducible by veratryl alcohol: the lcc1 gene is inducible in early stages of growth, and the lcc2 gene is also inducible but only when the organism reaches the stationary phase. Transcript levels for the third gene, lcc3, were uninduced by veratryl alcohol and repressed by glucose.

Four laccase isozymes (LCC1, LCC2, LCC3 and LCC4) synthesized by Pleurotus ostreatus strain V-184 were purified and characterized. LCC1 and LCC2 have molecular masses of about 60 and 65 kDa and exhibited the same pI value (3.0). Their N termini were sequenced, revealing the same amino acid sequence and homology with laccases from other microorganisms. Laccases LCC3 and LCC4 were characterized by SDS-PAGE, estimating their molecular masses around 80 and 82 kDa, respectively. By native isoelectrofocusing, their pI values were 4.7 and 4.5, respectively. When staining with ABTS and guaiacol in native polyacrilamide gels, different specificities were observed for LCC1/LCC2 and LCC3/LCC4 isozymes.