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Feruloyl and p-coumaroyl esterase from anaerobic fungi in relation to plant cell wall degradation

  • Applied Microbiology
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Summary

Trans-feruloyl and trans-p-coumaroyl esterases were found in the culture filtrates of two monocentric (Piromyces MC-1, Neocallimastix MC-2) and three polycentric (Orpinomyces PC-2, Orpinomyces PC-3, and PC-1, an unnamed genus with uniflagellated zoospores) isolates of anaerobic rumen fungi. Treatment of cell walls of Coastal bermudagrass shoots with the filtrates released the trans isomers of ferulic and p-coumaric acids; results of microscopic observations indicated that fungal isolates degraded primarily unlignified cell walls in leaf blades and stems. A greater proportion of ferulic than p-coumaric acid was released by this treatment when compared with the amounts of the acids released by saponification of the walls with 1 M NaOH. The filtrates also showed esterase activities against the trans isomers of methyl ferulate and methyl p-coumarate, with ferulic acid being released at a faster rate than p-coumaric acid. Assays for other cell-wall-degrading enzymes (xylanase, β-xylosidase, α-l-arabinosidase, cellulase, β-glucosidase) indicated that only β-xylosidase correlated with ferulate and p-coumarate esterase activities. The monocentric isolate MC-2 had the highest esterase activity against both the plant cell wall and methyl ester substrates and the highest specific activities of acetyl esterase, β-xylosidase, α-l-arabinosidase, cellulase and β-glucosidase. Isolate MC-2 produced substantially greater amounts of feruloyl and p-coumaroyl esterase when the growth substrate contained higher levels of saponifiable ferulic and p-coumaric acids.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 30613, Athens, Georgia, USA

    William S. Borneman, Roy D. Hartley, W. Herbert Morrison & Danny E. Akin

  2. Center for Biological Resource Recovery and Department of Biochemistry, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, Georgia, USA

    William S. Borneman & Lars G. Ljungdahl

Authors
  1. William S. Borneman
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  2. Roy D. Hartley
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  3. W. Herbert Morrison
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  4. Danny E. Akin
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  5. Lars G. Ljungdahl
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Borneman, W.S., Hartley, R.D., Morrison, W.H. et al. Feruloyl and p-coumaroyl esterase from anaerobic fungi in relation to plant cell wall degradation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 33, 345–351 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164534

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164534

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