Lignolytic mushroom Lenzites elegans WDP2: Laccase production, characterization, and bioremediation of synthetic dyes.

A mycoremedial study was undertaken for decolourization of synthetic dyes using wood rot fungal culture Lenzites elegans WDP2. The culture was isolated from decaying wood as fruiting body, and identified on the basis of 5.8S ITS rRNA gene sequence analysis. Qualitative plate screening of culture showed extracellular laccase and lignin peroxidase production, while only laccase enzyme was produced in higher amount (156.793 Uml-1) in minimal salt broth medium containing glucose and veratryl alcohol. Laccase activity was increased up to 189.25 Uml-1 after optimization of laccase production by optimization of one variable at a time approach. Molecular characterization of laccase enzyme was done using SDS PAGE and Native PAGE based isozyme analyses. The culture was able to decolorize three synthetic dying compounds (congo red, Malachite green and brilliant green) in broth media, while showed very less decolourization in plate assay. The fungal culture varied in their dye decolourizing potential in broth culture, showing 92.77%, 21.27% and 98.8% maximum decolourization of brilliant green, malachite green and congo red respectively. The congo red dye was completely bio-absorbed by fungal culture within one month. The fungal decolourized broth also revealed the extracellular laccase activity; varied from 10 Uml-1 to 68.5 Uml-1 in all the three cases, supports the involvement of laccase enzyme in decolorization. Phase contrast microscopy clearly revealed bio-sorption of the dyes by fungal culture into the mycelium/spores in the photomicrographs.

Solid state fermentation and crude cellulase based bioconversion of potential bamboo biomass to reducing sugar for bioenergy production.

BACKGROUND: Lignocellulosic biomass from bamboo is an attractive feedstock for the bioethanol industry owing to its high cellulosic content and fast growth rate. In this study, powdery biomass was first enzymatically delignified and then saccharified using crude enzymes. RESULTS: The biological pretreatment decreased the lignin content of the biomass from an initial value of 295 to 137.7 g kg-1 , with a simultaneous increase in exposed cellulose content from 379.3 to 615.9 g kg-1 . For optimization of the saccharification, response surface methodology was adopted using a three-factor/three-level Box-Behnken design with crude fungal cellulase loading (FPU g-1 substrate), substrate concentration (% w/v) and saccharification temperature (°C) as the main process parameters. A maximum saccharification yield of 47.19% was achieved under the optimized conditions (cellulase enzyme 18.4 FPU g-1 substrate, substrate concentration 1.0% w/v, temperature 39.49 °C). Biological delignification and saccharification of the biomass were further confirmed through scanning electron microscopy analysis. CONCLUSION: It is evident from the study that bamboo, as a renewable energy bioresource, can be hydrolysed to reducing sugars by using crude laccase/cellulase enzymes of fungal origin with good saccharification yield. Thus crude enzyme preparations could be utilized efficiently for eco-friendly and cost-effective bioethanol production. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bryophytes: Hoard of remedies, an ethno-medicinal review.

Bryophytes are the second largest group of land plants after angiosperms. There is very less knowledge available about medicinal properties of these plants. Bryophytes are popular remedy among the tribal people of different parts of the world. Tribal people use these plants to cure various ailments in their daily lives. Bryophytes are used to cure hepatic disorders, skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, used as antipyretic, antimicrobial, wound healing and many more other ailments by different tribal communities of Africa, America, Europe, Poland, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, China, Nepal and different parts of South, North and Eastern India. Apart from ethno-medicinal uses some bryophytes possesses antitumor activities against different cancer cell lines and this property of bryophytes needs to be more focused in the future. Compile information about medicinal properties and anticancer properties of bryophytes is lacking till date. In the present review, the authors tried to compile all the ethno-medicinal and other related information of bryophytes and fill the knowledge lacuna in this particular field. Some published reviews are available but the information is segregated. This manuscript will help people doing research in the bryophytes.