Chitosan multiple addition enhances laccase production from Trametes versicolor

Chitosan multiple addition strategy was developed to improve laccase production from Trametes versicolor cultures. The optimized multiple addition strategy was carried out by two-time addition of 0.1 g L(-1) chitosan to a 2-day-old culture media, with 24-h interval between the treatments. Under these conditions, laccase activity of 644.9 U l(-1) was achieved on the seventh day and laccase production was improved by 93.5 % higher than the control. Chitosan treatment increased reactive oxygen species generation and extracellular protein concentration in the treated mycelia. In contrast, the inducer inhibited the mycelia growth. The result of the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that the copy number of the laccase gene transcript increased by 16.7-fold in the treated mycelia relative to the control. This study provides insight into some of the intrinsic metabolic processes involved in the upregulation of laccase production in the presence of chitosan inducer in fungal culture.