Genome analysis of Acrophialophora yunnanensis and its lignocellulolytic enzyme system

Efficient hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass requires the synergistic action of multiple enzymes and is essential for economically feasible lignocellulose bioconversion. To evaluate the lignocellulolytic potential of Acrophialophora yunnanensis GZUIFR 22.409, this study combined enzyme activity assays with whole-genome sequencing to identify enzymatic activities, candidate degradation-related genes, and molecular features associated with cellulose and lignin degradation, thereby providing a genomic and enzymatic basis for further evaluation of this strain in lignocellulosic biomass conversion. The enzyme activity assays showed that this strain produced lignocellulose-degrading enzymes under the tested cultivation conditions. Specifically, the activities of β-glucosidase, endo-β-1,4-glucanase, manganese peroxidase, laccase, and lignin peroxidase were determined to be 18,419.00 ± 888.66 U/L, 6,212.33 ± 315.03 U/L, 670.94 ± 18.19 U/L, 596.27 ± 27.24 U/L, and 166.67 ± 10.90 U/L, respectively. The assembled genome of the strain was 33.95 Mb in size, with a GC content of 57.46%. A total of 7,878 protein-coding genes, 6,475 repetitive sequences, and 284 non-coding RNAs were predicted. Genome annotation identified 486 non-redundant CAZyme-encoding genes, including 38 cellulase-related genes and 10 lignin degradation enzyme genes. Bioinformatic analysis further showed that these 10 predicted lignin degradation enzymes possess physicochemical and structural features characteristic of fungal lignin degradation enzymes. Overall, A. yunnanensis GZUIFR 22.409 harbors a diverse predicted lignocellulolytic enzyme repertoire and produces extracellular lignocellulose-degrading enzymes under the tested conditions, supporting its potential as a fungal resource for further lignocellulosic biomass conversion studies.