Engineering of holocellulase in biomass-degrading fungi for sustainable biofuel production

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production Vol. 371; p. 133488
• Main Authors: Campos Antoniêto, Amanda Cristina, Maués, David Batista, Nogueira, Karoline Maria Vieira, de Paula, Renato Graciano, Steindorff, Andrei Stecca, Kennedy, John F., Pandey, Ashok, Gupta, Vijai Kumar, Silva, Roberto N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 15-10-2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: 09 BIOMASS FUELS; Cellulosic ethanol; Gene expression; Holocellulase; Lignocellulolytic fungi; Promoter engineering; Transcription factor; Transcriptional regulation; Holocellulase; Lignocellulolytic fungi; Cellulosic ethanol; Transcription factor; Gene expression; Transcriptional regulation; Promoter engineering
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133488

Biofuels, such as bioethanol, are a clean and sustainable form of energy and have emerged as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Plant biomass is an important raw material for the production of clean and renewable energy. The holocellulose contained in the composition of plants may be broken down into simple sugars, such as glucose, which are fermented by yeast to produce bioethanol. The conversion of glucose polymers into fermentable sugars is accomplished by enzymes known as holocellulases, which are produced by lignocellulolytic fungi. These enzymes act synergistically for the efficient degradation of cellulose polymers, and the fine and coordinated regulation of this process is performed by transcription factors (TFs). TFs are regulatory proteins that bind to the promoter region of their target genes (CAZymes, sugar transporters, signaling proteins, other TFs, etc.) to induce or repress their transcription. This review aims to understand the main regulatory mechanisms involved in plant biomass degradation by the most studied lignocellulolytic fungi Trichoderma sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and Neurosporacrassa. In this context, the most studied TFs related to holocellulose degradation and genetic modification of TFs or promoters as a valuable tool to improve enzyme production for biotechnological purposes have been discussed. This review enables the expansion of knowledge on the regulation of the cellulolytic system of filamentous fungi and the application of this knowledge to the improvement of numerous bioproducts. Engineering TFs and promoters may yield more efficient strains that may be active in plant biomass hydrolysis. In this way, the technological processes for obtaining ethanol from lignocellulose may become more commercially viable.
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•Holocellulose in plants can be broken down into glucose.•Glucose polymers can be converted to fermentable sugars by holocellulases.•Bioethanol is a sustainable form of energy production from plant biomass.•Lignocellulolytic fungi are involved in the degradation of plant biomass.•The regulation of the cellulolytic system of filamentous fungi has been reviewed.