Metabolism of cellulose by Phanerochaete chrysosporium in continuously agitated culture is associated with enhanced production of lignin peroxidase.

Production of the extracellular heme protein lignin peroxidase (LiP) by Phanerochaete chrysosporium is currently associated with a number of requirements, namely exposure of the cultures to oxygen; limiting nutrient nitrogen or carbon and static or semi-static culture conditions. To obtain LiP activity in continuously agitated liquid culture requires the inclusion of a surfactant. However, using cellulose as the carbon source, we obtained high titres (0.2-0.4 U ml(-1)) of LiP in submerged liquid cultures under conditions of continuous agitation, without substrate limitation or the need to add oxygen or surfactant. Comparison of the morphological and physiological traits of hyphae maintained on either cellulose or free glucose supports observations that the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharide in the cultures grown on glucose, restricts oxygen diffusion into the hyphae, which is necessary for LiP induction. They also suggest that isozymes of LiP synthesised under these conditions may be triggered in response to oxidant stress.