Anaerobic fungi are among the most active plant‐degrading microbes in nature. Increased insight into the mechanisms and environmental cues that regulate fungal hydrolysis would better inform bioprocessing strategies to depolymerize lignocellulose. Here, we compare the response of three strains of anaerobic fungi (
The conversion of lignocellulose‐rich biomass to bio‐based chemicals and higher order fuels remains a grand challenge, as single‐microbe approaches often cannot drive both deconstruction and chemical production steps. In contrast, consortia based bioprocessing leverages the strengths of different microbes to distribute metabolic loads and achieve process synergy, product diversity, and bolster yields. Here, we describe a biphasic fermentation scheme that combines the lignocellulolytic action of anaerobic fungi isolated from large herbivores with domesticated microbes for bioproduction. When grown in batch culture, anaerobic fungi release excess sugars from both cellulose and crude biomass due to a wealth of highly expressed carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes), converting as much as 49% of cellulose to free glucose. This sugar‐rich hydrolysate readily supports growth of
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10049263
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering
- Volume:
- 115
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0006-3592
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 874-884
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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