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Farnesol-Induced Hyperbranched Morphology with Short Hyphae and Bulbous Tips of Coriolus versicolor

Summary

This research investigated how a natural compound called farnesol changes the growth structure of a medicinal mushroom (Coriolus versicolor) to improve its production of useful enzymes. The modified mushroom structure had more branching and bulbous tips, which helped it secrete nearly 7 times more of an important enzyme called laccase. This finding has practical applications in biotechnology and enzyme production. Impacts on everyday life: – More efficient production of enzymes used in industrial processes and environmental cleanup – Potential cost reduction for enzyme-based products and treatments – Improved understanding of how to control fungal growth for various applications – More sustainable methods for producing industrial enzymes – Better techniques for growing medicinal mushrooms

Background

In filamentous fungi, mycelial morphology affects the synthesis and secretion of intracellular metabolites and is a key factor for secretory protein production. Farnesol, as the first fungal quorum sensing molecule, typically induces morphological transitions in dimorphic fungi, but its effects on basidiomycete morphology are rarely studied.

Objective

To understand the mechanism by which farnesol induces morphological changes related to physiological status in Coriolus versicolor, and to investigate how these farnesol-induced changes affect extracellular laccase production.

Results

Farnesol induced C. versicolor to develop a hyperbranched morphology with short hyphae and bulbous tips. This resulted from increased expression of rhoA and decreased expression of racA and cftA genes. Farnesol significantly increased intracellular ROS levels, leading to enhanced oxidative stress that stimulated laccase gene expression. The modified morphology improved laccase secretion, resulting in 6.8-fold higher extracellular laccase production (2189.2 U/L) compared to control cultures.

Conclusion

Farnesol regulates C. versicolor morphology through modulation of morphogenesis-related genes, resulting in hyperbranched growth beneficial for protein secretion. The increased laccase production is attributed to enhanced gene expression, favorable pelleted growth, and increased secretion sites from branched hyphae with bulbous tips. This provides new insights for improving secreted enzyme production in basidiomycetes.
  • Published in:Scientific Reports,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.1038/s41598-018-33435-6
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