Nutritional Regulation of Lignin Degradation by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Previous studies have shown that a lignin-degrading system appears in cultures of the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium in response to nitrogen starvation, apparently as part of secondary metabolism. We examined the influence of limiting carbohydrate, sulfur, or phosphorus and the effect of varying the concentrations of four trace metals, Ca, and Mg. Limitation of carbohydrate or sulfur but not limitation of phosphorus triggered ligninolytic activity. When only carbohydrate was limiting, supplementary carbohydrate caused a transient repression of activity. In carbohydrate-limited cultures, ligninolytic activity appeared when the supplied carbohydrate was depleted, and this activity was associated with a decrease in mycelial dry weight. The amount of lignin degraded depended on the amount of carbohydrate provided, which determined the amount of mycelium produced during primary growth. Carbohydrate-limited cultures synthesized only small amounts of the secondary metabolite veratryl alcohol compared with nitrogen-limited cultures. l-Glutamate sharply repressed ligninolytic activity in carbohydrate-starved cultures, but NH(4) did not. Ligninolytic activity was also triggered in cultures supplied with 37 muM sulfur as the only limiting nutrient. The balance of trace metals, Mg, and Ca was important for lignin degradation.