Coriolopsis gallica
Encyclopedia
Coriolopsis gallica is a fungus found growing on decaying wood. It has not been associated to any plant disease, therefore it is not considered pathogenic. For various Coriolopsis gallica strains isolated, it has been found, as a common feature of the phylum Basidiomycota
, that they are able to degrade wood components, mainly lignin
and to lesser extent cellulose
, which results in a degradation area covered by the accummulating -white- cellulose powder, therefore, C. gallica might be generically called, as many other Basidiomycetes, as "white-rot" fungi.
This feature of preferential degradation of lignin
components, such as melanoidin
s, polyphenol
s, and other aromatic compounds is of biotechnological interest in the industries of paper (recycling and bleaching), beer and sugar cane production or for the bioremediation of waste waters produced in these and other industrial activities. While in Basidiomycota, the lignolytic activities are jointly played by enzymes such as laccase
s, manganese peroxidase
s and lignin peroxidase
s, in Coriolopsis gallica, as well as in the phylogeneticall related Trametes
spp., laccases (even in multiple genomic copies) are the main mechanisms involved in lignin modification, while in another well studied white-rot basidiomycota Phanerochaete
spp., virtually no laccase activity is involved in lignin biodegradation.
Basidiomycota
Basidiomycota is one of two large phyla that, together with the Ascomycota, comprise the subkingdom Dikarya within the Kingdom Fungi...
, that they are able to degrade wood components, mainly lignin
Lignin
Lignin or lignen is a complex chemical compound most commonly derived from wood, and an integral part of the secondary cell walls of plants and some algae. The term was introduced in 1819 by de Candolle and is derived from the Latin word lignum, meaning wood...
and to lesser extent cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
, which results in a degradation area covered by the accummulating -white- cellulose powder, therefore, C. gallica might be generically called, as many other Basidiomycetes, as "white-rot" fungi.
This feature of preferential degradation of lignin
Lignin
Lignin or lignen is a complex chemical compound most commonly derived from wood, and an integral part of the secondary cell walls of plants and some algae. The term was introduced in 1819 by de Candolle and is derived from the Latin word lignum, meaning wood...
components, such as melanoidin
Melanoidin
Melanoidins are brown, high molecular weight heterogeneous polymers that are formed when sugars and amino acids combine at high temperatures and low water activity. Melanoidins are commonly present in foods that have undergone some form of non-enzymatic browning, such as barley malts , bread...
s, polyphenol
Polyphenol
Polyphenols are a structural class of natural, synthetic, and semisynthetic organic chemicals characterized by the presence of large multiples of phenol structural units...
s, and other aromatic compounds is of biotechnological interest in the industries of paper (recycling and bleaching), beer and sugar cane production or for the bioremediation of waste waters produced in these and other industrial activities. While in Basidiomycota, the lignolytic activities are jointly played by enzymes such as laccase
Laccase
Laccases are copper-containing oxidase enzymes that are found in many plants, fungi, and microorganisms. The copper is bound in several sites; Type 1, Type 2, and/or Type 3. The ensemble of types 2 and 3 copper is called a trinuclear cluster . Type 1 copper is available to action of solvents,...
s, manganese peroxidase
Manganese peroxidase
In enzymology, a manganese peroxidase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reactionThe 3 substrates of this enzyme are Mn, H+, and H2O2, whereas its two products are Mn and H2O....
s and lignin peroxidase
Lignin peroxidase
Lignin is highly resistant to biodegradation and only higher fungi are capable of degrading the polymer via an oxidative process. This process has been studied extensively in the past twenty years, but the actual mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated...
s, in Coriolopsis gallica, as well as in the phylogeneticall related Trametes
Trametes
Trametes is a genus of fungi that is distinguished by a pileate basidiocarp, di- to trimitic hyphal systems, smooth non-dextrinoid spores, and a hymenium usually without true hymenial cystidia. The genus has a widespread distribution and contains about fifty species...
spp., laccases (even in multiple genomic copies) are the main mechanisms involved in lignin modification, while in another well studied white-rot basidiomycota Phanerochaete
Phanerochaete
Phanerochaete is a genus of fungi. Several of the species in this genus are plant pathogens.This genus includes "white-rot" fungi that are able to degrade lignin to carbon dioxide. This is achieved, in part, by lignin peroxidases and manganese peroxidases.These peroxidases are also able to mediate...
spp., virtually no laccase activity is involved in lignin biodegradation.