Molecular characterisation of UV and chemically induced mutants of Trichoderma reesei FCBP-364

Cellulases are a highly diverse group of enzymes whose function is crucial to the healthy functioning of the biosphere, since more than half of all biomass on the planet consists of their substrate, cellulose. Trials were conducted to study the effect of mutagenesis by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (5-40 min) and ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) treatment (50-300 microg mL(-1)) to obtain hyperactive cellulase enzyme producers. Putative mutants of Trichoderma reesei FCBP-364 were selected on the basis of their bigger hydrolysing zone formation and compared to the parental strains quantitatively. UV- and EMS-treated putative mutants of the test strains exhibited a 1.5-2-fold enhancement in enzymatic activity over the parental strain. The profile of genetic variability among native and mutant derivatives was scrutinised through random amplification of polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). The scanned amplicons confirmed the modification in genetic make up which might be the cause of the stir up in the enzyme activity.