Scientific African (Mar 2021)
Biocatalytic potential of basidiomycetes: Relevance, challenges and research interventions in industrial processes
Abstract
Basidiomycetes are potential cell factories by their possession of genes that express a wide range of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes categorized in the Carbohydrate-active Enzymes (CAZyme) database. The major plant cell wall- degrading enzymes are cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases and ligninases that are grouped into CAZyme families. The present review seeks to unravel the biocatalytic potential of basidiomycetes, wood-decaying species, and to assess their relevance in industrial processes. The most prominent attribute of these species is their lignin-degrading abilities, which establishes their relevance in industrial processes like biopulping, biorefinery and bioremediation. The review also highlights some challenges associated with the use of basidiomycetes species or their enzymes for industrial purposes, some of which include natural mutations, pathogenicity and slow growth pattern and low titre of enzymes. Since these challenges cannot be overruled by research, the review considers certain interventions such as genome mining of sequenced genomes of species to phish out enzymes of interest or necessary gene modification, co-cultivation of species for improved enzyme expression and on-site approaches for production of enzyme blends for industrial biomass conversion. These approaches could help to maximize the biocatalytic potential of basidiomycetes hence boosting their relevance in industrial processes.
