Fungal secretomics of ascomycete fungi for biotechnological applications

The enzymatic degradation of plant biomass is of growing interest for the development of a sustainable bio-based industry. Ascomycete fungi, which degrade complex and recalcitrant plant polymers, secrete enzymes acting on the different components of plant cell wall (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin). In this study, we present proteomic analyses of enzyme cocktails (secretomes) produced by five strains of Ascomycota (Aspergillus wentii, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus niger, Neocosmospora haematococca, Penicillium variabile) from different geographical origins. Expert annotation of enzymes secreted revealed a large array of carbohydrate-active enzymes targeting plant cell wall polysaccharides. This study reveals that systematic proteomic analyses of fungal secretomes can contribute to the phenotyping of fungal strains from different geographical origins.