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Large-scale phenotyping of 1,000 fungal strains for the degradation of non-natural, industrial compounds

Summary

Scientists tested over 1,000 different fungi to see which ones could break down human-made pollutants like industrial dyes, plastics, and paper waste. They found that different types of fungi are good at degrading different pollutants, with wood-decaying fungi being particularly useful. This research suggests that fungi could be engineered to help clean up environmental pollution caused by industry and human activities.

Background

Fungal biotechnology offers potential solutions for addressing pollution from human-designed compounds including plastics, dyes, and industrial by-products. Biological Resource Centres preserve fungal diversity and provide critical infrastructure for developing biotechnological applications. This study leverages a large fungal collection to assess degradation capabilities across diverse fungal taxa.

Objective

To conduct large-scale phenotyping of over 1,000 fungal strains to evaluate their growth and degradation potential towards five industrial, recalcitrant compounds including synthetic dyes, lignocellulose-derived compounds, and plastic polymers. The study aimed to create a functional map across phylogenetic diversity to guide selection of fungal taxa for biotechnological applications.

Results

All 32 theoretically possible functional profiles were observed, with functional diversity evident at all taxonomic ranks including within species. Basidiomycota generally degraded a broader range of compounds than Ascomycota. Brown-rot fungi excelled at dye decolorization while white-rot fungi performed better on lignosulfonate and cellulose. Ascomycota, particularly phytopathogenic species, were most efficient at polyurethane degradation.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates tremendous biotechnological potential of filamentous fungi for degrading industrial pollutants and highlights the critical role of Biological Resource Centres in supporting biodiversity-driven biotechnology. Functional diversity exists at all taxonomic ranks, and strategic screening of 20-150 strains at species-to-order levels can capture representative functional diversity for biotechnological applications.
  • Published in:Communications Biology,
  • Study Type:Large-scale phenotyping study,
  • Source: PMID: 34267314
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