Stoichiometric balance ratio of cellobiose and gentiobiose induces cellulase production in Talaromyces cellulolyticus

Abstract

Background The exact mechanism by which fungal strains sense insoluble cellulose is unknown, but research points to the importance of transglycosylation products generated by fungi during cellulose breakdown. Here, we used multi-omics approach to identify the transglycosylation metabolites and determine their function in cellulase induction in a model strain, Talaromyces cellulolyticus MTCC25456. Results Talaromyces sp. is a novel hypercellulolytic fungal strain. Based on genome scrutiny and biochemical analysis, we predicted the presence of cellulases on the surface of its spores. We performed metabolome analysis to show that these membrane-bound cellulases act on polysaccharides to form a mixture of disaccharides and their transglycosylated derivatives. Inevitably, a high correlation existed between metabolite data and the KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes in the carbohydrate metabolic pathway. Analysis of the contribution of the transglycosylation product mixtures to cellulase induction revealed a 57% increase in total cellulase. Further research into the metabolites, using in vitro induction tests and response surface methodology, revealed that Talaromyces sp. produces cell wall-breaking enzymes in response to cellobiose and gentiobiose as a stimulant. Precisely, a 2.5:1 stoichiometric ratio of cellobiose to gentiobiose led to a 2.4-fold increase in cellulase synthesis. The application of the optimized inducers in cre knockout strain significantly increased the enzyme output. Conclusion This is the first study on the objective evaluation and enhancement of cellulase production using optimized inducers. Inducer identification and genetic engineering boosted the cellulase production in the cellulolytic fungus Talaromyces sp.

Antagonistic effects of Talaromyces muroii TM28 against Fusarium crown rot of wheat caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum

“…Previous studies have shown that Talaromyces spp. contains rich and diverse genes encoding proteases ( Haggag et al, 2006 ), secondary metabolite biosynthetic enzymes ( Wang et al, 2020 ), and fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes ( Aggarwal et al, 2023 ). The cell wall is essential for fungal viability, morphogenesis, and pathogenesis ( Kim and Lee, 2012 ), and degradation of the cell walls of plant pathogens is important for antagonistic microorganisms ( Karthik et al, 2017 ).…”

Bioactive polyketides and meroterpenoids from the mangrove-derived fungus Talaromyces flavus TGGP35

“…The genus Talaromyces is identified as the sexual state of Penicillium and belongs to the Trichocomaceae family (Chaiyosang et al, 2021 ). The fungus Talaromyces , which is broadly dispersed in the natural environment (Zhang K. et al, 2022 ), demonstrates significant potential as a biological resource in food industry, ecology, agriculture, and medicine (Nicoletti et al, 2018 ; Devi et al, 2020 ; Prieto et al, 2021 ; Yadav et al, 2022 ; Aggarwal et al, 2023 ; De Eugenio et al, 2023 ; Xue et al, 2023 ). To further understand its characteristics, the biosynthetic pathways, biological activity (Chen et al, 2022 ; Lei et al, 2022 ; Lv et al, 2023 ; Nicoletti et al, 2023 ), and structure–activity relationship (Xie et al, 2022 ; Zhang M. et al, 2022 ) in Talaromyces have been extensively probed.…”