Characterization of white rot fungi from wood decayed for lignin degradation

The present study was conducted to isolate and identify white rot fungi (WRF) from wood decayed and to determine their ability to produce lignin-modifying enzymes (LMEs), specifically laccase (Lac), lignin peroxidase (LiP), and manganese peroxidase (MnP), on solid and liquid media supplemented with synthetic dyes namely 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), azure B, and phenol red. A total of 23 isolates of WRF were isolated from decayed wood and identified as eight different species namely Phanerochaete australis, Perenniporia tephropora, Lentinus squarrosulus, Ganoderma australe, Trametes polyzona, Lentinus sajor-caju, Gymnopilus dilepis, and Fomitopsis palustris based on morphological characteristics, DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and phylogenetic inference. The fungal isolates can be divided into four groups based on the type of LMEs produced, namely A (Lac-LiP-MnP) with 16 isolates, B (Lac-MnP) (three isolates), C (Lac) (three isolates), and D (MnP) (one isolate). This study highlights P. australis (BJ38) as the best producer of Lac and LiP, while L. squarrosulus (IPS72) is the best producer of MnP. The present study is the first reported P. australis as an efficient lignin degrader by demonstrating the highest activity of two important LMEs.