Study of enzymes secreted by basidiomycetes in cultures with the presence of plastics

• Grant number: 25/07094-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Adriane Maria Ferreira Milagres
• Grantee: Bárbara Inés Arias Godoy
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/07317-4 - Prospecting and characterization of proteins with biotechnological potential for the degradation and reuse of plastic waste, AP.R

Abstract

Considering the benefits and the growing interest in using cocultures for enzyme production, this study proposes to characterize the enzymatic extracts produced by the ligninolytic white-rot fungus Bjerkandera adusta growing individually (monoculture) and in coculture with another fungal species, and to evaluate the biodegradation capacity of different types of commonly used plastics (PET, PE, PP, PVC). B. adusta has 21 peroxidases (including manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, and versatile peroxidase), 2 laccases, 26 AA9-type LPMOs, 10 lipases, and 24 hydrophobins encoded in its genome. The brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum possesses several genes encoding proteins that act on cellulose (11 cellulases and 4 AA9-type LPMOs), 17 lipases, 5 laccases, and 19 hydrophobins. The genomes of these basidiomycetes can be used in proteomic studies to assess the secretion potential of each species under different cultivation conditions. For comparative analyses, two substrates will be used in the cultures: Avicel as the sole carbon source, and a medium combining Avicel with each plastic. The main goal is to prospect and detect the enzymes present in the fungal secretomes under different cultivation systems to select candidates for heterologous expression. (AU)