''Trichoderma reesei'' is a

mesophilic A mesophile is an organism that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, with an optimum growth range from . The optimum growth temperature for these organisms is 37 °C (about 99 °F). The term is mainly applied ...

and filamentous

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

. It is an anamorph of the fungus ''Hypocrea jecorina''. ''T. reesei'' can secrete large amounts of cellulolytic

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

s ( cellulases and hemicellulases). Microbial cellulases have industrial application in the conversion of

cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...

, a major component of plant

biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

, into

glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...

. ''T. reesei'' isolate QM6a was originally isolated from the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

because of its degradation of canvas and garments of the US army. All strains currently used in

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

and basic research were derived from this isolate. Recent advances in the

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

of cellulase

enzymology An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

, the mechanism of cellulose

hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution reaction, substitution, elimination reaction, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water ...

( cellulolysis), strain improvement, molecular cloning and process engineering are bringing ''T. reesei'' cellulases closer to being a commercially viable route to cellulose hydrolysis. Several industrially useful strains have been developed and characterised, e.g. Rut-C30, RL-P37 and MCG-80. The genome was released in 2008. ''T. reesei'' has a mating type-dependent characterised sexual cycle.

Sexual development

''T. reesei'' QM6a has a ''MAT1-2'' mating type locus. The opposite mating type, ''MAT1-1'', was recently found, proving that ''T. reesei'' is a heterothallic species. After being regarded as asexual since its discovery more than 50 years ago, sexual reproduction can now be induced in ''T. reesei'' QM6a leading to formation of fertilized stromata and mature ascospores.

Use in industry

''T. reesei'' is an important commercial and industrial micro-organism due to its cellulase production ability. Industrial enzymes, like ''T. reesei'', have become an essential part of the global market. As of 2012, the estimated market size for industrial enzymes reached almost 4 billion in US dollars.Ferreira, Nicolas Lopes; Margeot, Antoine; Blanquet, Senta; Berrin, Jean-Guy (2014-01-01), Gupta, Vijai K.; Schmoll, Monika; Herrera-Estrella, Alfredo; Upadhyay, R. S. (eds.)
"Use of Cellulases from Trichoderma reesei in the Twenty-First Century—Part I"
''Biotechnology and Biology of Trichoderma'', Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 245–261, , retrieved 2024-04-13 Many strains of ''T. reesei'' have been developed since its discovery, with heavy emphasis on increasing cellulase production. These improvement programs originally consisted of classical (ionising-radiation-based and chemical-based) mutagenesis, which led to strains capable of producing 20 times as much cellulase as QM6a. The ultimate aim in the creation of hypercellulolytic strains was to obtain a carbon catabolite derepressed strain. This derepression would allow the ''T. reesei'' strain to produce cellulases under any set of growth conditions, even in the presence of glucose. However, with the advent of modern genetic engineering tools such as targeted deletion, targeted knockout, and more, a new generation of strains dubbed "hyperproducers" has emerged. Some of the highest performing industrial strains produce up to 100 grams of cellulases per litre, more than 3 times as much as the RUT-C30 strain (which itself produces twice as much as the parent strain NG14 from which it was derived). ''T. reesei'' is used in the production of biofuels. This fungi helps to efficiently break down biomass into biofuels for industrial applications. ''T. reesei'' accomplishes this by breaking down complex sugars, like

, into simple sugars. Several institutions and studies have been accomplished to explore possibilities of understanding and manipulating this process in order to boost the development of ethanol as an economic alternative to other fuel sources. With the present enzyme cocktails in use, the cost per gallon of ethanol may be too high to be considered a competitive alternative to other fuel sources. To make these biofuels economically viable, it may be necessary to improve not only the enzyme production process, but also to optimize the costs for all other steps of the process including pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation. ''T. reesei'' is used in the creation of stonewashed jeans. The cellulase produced by the fungus partially degrades the cotton material in places, making it soft and causing the jeans to look as if they had been washed using stones.Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month
/ref> ''T. reesei'' has been commercially used for this process, sometimes called biostoning. ''T. reesei'' contains four main celluloytic enzymes, which are EGII/Cel5A, CBHII/Cel6A, CBHI/Cel7A, and EGI/Cel7B.Puranen, Terhi; Alapuranen, Marika; Vehmaanperä, Jari (2014-01-01), Gupta, Vijai K.; Schmoll, Monika; Herrera-Estrella, Alfredo; Upadhyay, R. S. (eds.)
"Trichoderma Enzymes for Textile Industries"
''Biotechnology and Biology of Trichoderma'', Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 351–362, , retrieved 2024-04-13 The EGII/Cel5A specifically was able to better remove the coloring of denim than other enzymes in ''T. reesei.'' The use of ''T. reesei'' in textiles has recently expanded to include general laundry detergents. ''T. reesei'', when used in laundry detergents, has rejuvenating properties that improve the color brightness, feel, dirt removal, and pilling in cotton fabrics. ''T. reesei'' is able to accomplish this by modifying the cellulosic yarn surface of cotton fabrics and garments. In the case of fabric de-pilling, cellulolytic cocktails containing the fungi hydrolyze cellulose in the fibers to achieve a de-pilling effect. The enzymes EGII/Cel5A and EGI/Cel7B were shown to remove more pill than the main enzymes (CBHI/Cel7A and CBHII/Cel6A), which actually showed little de-pilling abilities. ''T. reesei'' is viewed as an emerging platform for

applications, as engineered organisms have proven capable of secreting high levels of recombinant protein in place of native enzymes. Recombinant fungus could provide a sustainable alternative to animals for production of substances like egg protein. Studies show that the use of ''T. reesei'' in creating egg protein substitutes could reduce carbon emissions and other negative environmental impacts associated with traditional egg-white powder production.Natasha, Järviö; Tuure, Parviainen; Netta-Leena, Maljanen; Yumi, Kobayashi; Lauri, Kujanpää; Dilek, Ercili-Cura; P., Landowski, Christopher; Toni, Ryynänen; Emilia, Nordlund; L., Tuomisto, Hanna
"Ovalbumin production using Trichoderma reesei culture and low-carbon energy could mitigate the environmental impacts of chicken-egg-derived ovalbumin".
''Nature Food''. 2 (12).

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit to uniquely identify a periodical publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...

2662-1355. Companies like Onego Bio have already begun experimenting with the commercial production of animal-free egg protein with the assistance of ''T. reesei.'' Like other trichoderma variants, ''T. reesei'' has also shown to be useful in

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

and

winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

because the enzymes within the fungus improved

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

. Furthermore, the ''T. reesei'' enzymes EGII and CBHII specifically improved the wine viscosity; in the United States, the fungus was also used to reduce the viscosity of worts. In the food and feed industry, ''T. reesei'' and other trichoderma variants have proven to be an invaluable resource for the production processes and qualitative integrity for feed cereals and food/vegetable extractions. The cell walls of cereal crops (which primarily include wheat, barley, oats, and rye) are highly indigestible due to the presence of non starch polysaccharides. ''T. reesei'' and other trichoderma variants help to partially hydrolyze these crops and improve nutritional quality as well as digestibility. Increased demand for higher quality olive oil in recent years led to the development of specific cocktails including pectinases, hemicellulases, and cellulolytic preparation from ''T. reesei'' to facilitate the cold extraction of olive oil.

Sexual development

Use in industry

See also

References

External links