Background: In the industrial biotechnology, ligninolytic enzymes are produced by single fungal strains.
Experimental evidence suggests that co-culture of ligninolytic fungi and filamentous microfungi results in an
increase laccase activity. In this topic, only the ascomycete
Trichoderma spp. has been studied broadly. However,
fungal ligninolytic-filamentousmicrofungi biodiversity interaction in nature is abundant and poorly studied. The
enhancement of laccase and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities of
Trametes maxima
as a function of time
inoculation of
Paecilomyces carneus
and under several culture conditions using Plackett–Burman experimental
design (PBED) were investigated.
Results: The highest increases of laccase (12,382.5 U/mg protein) and MnP (564.1 U/mg protein) activities were
seen in co-cultures I3 and I5, respectively, both at 10 d after inoculation. This level of activity was significantly
different from the enzyme activity in non-inoculated
T. maxima (4881.0 U/mg protein and 291.8 U/mg protein
for laccase and MnP, respectively). PBED results showed that laccase was increased (
P < 0.05) by high levels
of glucose, (NH
4)
2SO
4 and MnSO
4 and low levels of KH
2PO
4, FeSO
4 and inoculum (
P < 0.05). In addition, MnP
activity was increased (
P < 0.05) by high yeast extract, MgSO
4, CaCl
2 and MnSO
4 concentrations.
Conclusions: Interaction between indigenous fungi:
T. maxima–
P. carneus improves laccase and MnP activities.
The inoculation time of
P. carneus on
T. maxima plays an important role in the laccase and MnP enhancement.
The nutritional requirements for enzyme improvement in a co-culture system are different from those required
for a monoculture system.
