Pycnoporus coccineus
The genus Pycnoporus is a cosmopolitan group of
basidiomycete fungi from the order Polyporales, the major group of
wood decayers in temperate and tropical forests. The lignocellulose
contained in the wood of standing trees and in dead wood
contributes significantly to carbon storage on land. Because they
are able to degrade the aromatic and saccharide polymers of wood,
Pycnoporus fungi play a role in global carbon
cycling.
White-rot filamentous fungi such as Pycnoporus species
have a high potential for biotechnological processes, particularly
for lignocellulosic feedstock biorefinery. The lignocellulose from
plant biomass is a source of renewable carbon for the production of
biofuels and chemicals, including high-value chemicals. Notably,
complex raw materials from different origins (dedicated crops,
agricultural and forestry wastes) and biorefinery wastes provide
organic polymers and saccharides that can be converted to chemicals
without impact on land usage for food/feed production or the
preservation of natural areas.
Pycnoporus emerged in the early 1990s as an extraordinary
resource to identify novel enzymes for efficient biomass
degradation or transformation and became a genus of choice for
biotechnological applications. Pycnoporus species were
first highlighted for their original metabolic pathways involved in
the conversion of plant cell wall aromatic compounds into high
value molecules, e.g. aromas and antioxidants, and for their
potential to produce a wide range of enzymes of industrial
interest, such as glycoside hydrolases and lignin oxidases.
Oxidases in particular are of great interest for the bioconversion
of plant raw materials and plant wastes into valuable products, for
biopulping and biobleaching of paper pulp, and for the
biodegradation of organopollutants, xenobiotics and industrial
contaminants. One long-known useful feature of the genus
Pycnoporus is the ability to overproduce high redox
potential laccases - multi-copper extracellular phenoloxidases -
among other ligninolytic enzymes.
The genus Pycnoporus belongs to the Trametes
phylogenetic clade, and is morphologically similar in all
characters except for the conspicuous bright reddish-orange color
of the basidiocarp. Pycnoporus coccineus is one of the
four representative species of the genus. Pycnoporus
coccineus occurs in both broad-leaved and coniferous trees in
the countries bordering the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This species
has been shown as a laccase producer with high redox potential. The
genome sequence of Pycnoporus coccineus allows the
exploration of enzymes to be used as biocatalysts in plant biomass
processing, among other applications. It will be used to deepen our
understanding of the functional diversity within the genus, and of
its enzymatic capabilities in relation to lignocellulose
breakdown.
