Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi

Fungal pathogens have evolved combinations of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) to deconstruct host plant cell walls (PCWs). An understanding of this process is hoped to create a basis for improving plant biomass conversion efficiency into sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. Here, an appr...

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Main Authors: Yanhua Dou, Yan Yang, Nitesh Kumar Mund, Yanping Wei, Yisong Liu, Linfang Wei, Yifan Wang, Panpan Du, Yunheng Zhou, Johannes Liesche, Lili Huang, Hao Fang, Chen Zhao, Jisheng Li, Yahong Wei, Shaolin Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/23/7220
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author Yanhua Dou
Yan Yang
Nitesh Kumar Mund
Yanping Wei
Yisong Liu
Linfang Wei
Yifan Wang
Panpan Du
Yunheng Zhou
Johannes Liesche
Lili Huang
Hao Fang
Chen Zhao
Jisheng Li
Yahong Wei
Shaolin Chen
author_facet Yanhua Dou
Yan Yang
Nitesh Kumar Mund
Yanping Wei
Yisong Liu
Linfang Wei
Yifan Wang
Panpan Du
Yunheng Zhou
Johannes Liesche
Lili Huang
Hao Fang
Chen Zhao
Jisheng Li
Yahong Wei
Shaolin Chen
author_sort Yanhua Dou
collection DOAJ
description Fungal pathogens have evolved combinations of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) to deconstruct host plant cell walls (PCWs). An understanding of this process is hoped to create a basis for improving plant biomass conversion efficiency into sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. Here, an approach integrating enzyme activity assay, biomass pretreatment, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and genomic analysis of PCWDEs were applied to examine digestibility or degradability of selected woody and herbaceous biomass by pathogenic fungi. Preferred hydrolysis of apple tree branch, rapeseed straw, or wheat straw were observed by the apple-tree-specific pathogen <i>Valsa mali</i>, the rapeseed pathogen <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>, and the wheat pathogen <i>Rhizoctonia cerealis</i>, respectively. Delignification by peracetic acid (PAA) pretreatment increased PCW digestibility, and the increase was generally more profound with non-host than host PCW substrates. Hemicellulase pretreatment slightly reduced or had no effect on hemicellulose content in the PCW substrates tested; however, the pretreatment significantly changed hydrolytic preferences of the selected pathogens, indicating a role of hemicellulose branching in PCW digestibility. Cellulose organization appears to also impact digestibility of host PCWs, as reflected by differences in cellulose microfibril organization in woody and herbaceous PCWs and variation in cellulose-binding domain organization in cellulases of pathogenic fungi, which is known to influence enzyme access to cellulose. Taken together, this study highlighted the importance of chemical structure of both hemicelluloses and cellulose in host PCW digestibility by fungal pathogens.
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spelling doaj.art-b4f76e001b3e4e26bea1e58dbb004d272023-11-23T02:49:13ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492021-11-012623722010.3390/molecules26237220Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic FungiYanhua Dou0Yan Yang1Nitesh Kumar Mund2Yanping Wei3Yisong Liu4Linfang Wei5Yifan Wang6Panpan Du7Yunheng Zhou8Johannes Liesche9Lili Huang10Hao Fang11Chen Zhao12Jisheng Li13Yahong Wei14Shaolin Chen15College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi Datong University, Datong 037009, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, ChinaFungal pathogens have evolved combinations of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) to deconstruct host plant cell walls (PCWs). An understanding of this process is hoped to create a basis for improving plant biomass conversion efficiency into sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. Here, an approach integrating enzyme activity assay, biomass pretreatment, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and genomic analysis of PCWDEs were applied to examine digestibility or degradability of selected woody and herbaceous biomass by pathogenic fungi. Preferred hydrolysis of apple tree branch, rapeseed straw, or wheat straw were observed by the apple-tree-specific pathogen <i>Valsa mali</i>, the rapeseed pathogen <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>, and the wheat pathogen <i>Rhizoctonia cerealis</i>, respectively. Delignification by peracetic acid (PAA) pretreatment increased PCW digestibility, and the increase was generally more profound with non-host than host PCW substrates. Hemicellulase pretreatment slightly reduced or had no effect on hemicellulose content in the PCW substrates tested; however, the pretreatment significantly changed hydrolytic preferences of the selected pathogens, indicating a role of hemicellulose branching in PCW digestibility. Cellulose organization appears to also impact digestibility of host PCWs, as reflected by differences in cellulose microfibril organization in woody and herbaceous PCWs and variation in cellulose-binding domain organization in cellulases of pathogenic fungi, which is known to influence enzyme access to cellulose. Taken together, this study highlighted the importance of chemical structure of both hemicelluloses and cellulose in host PCW digestibility by fungal pathogens.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/23/7220cellulosehemicellulosesligninapple tree branchwheat strawrapeseed straw
spellingShingle Yanhua Dou
Yan Yang
Nitesh Kumar Mund
Yanping Wei
Yisong Liu
Linfang Wei
Yifan Wang
Panpan Du
Yunheng Zhou
Johannes Liesche
Lili Huang
Hao Fang
Chen Zhao
Jisheng Li
Yahong Wei
Shaolin Chen
Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
Molecules
cellulose
hemicelluloses
lignin
apple tree branch
wheat straw
rapeseed straw
title Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
title_full Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
title_fullStr Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
title_full_unstemmed Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
title_short Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
title_sort comparative analysis of herbaceous and woody cell wall digestibility by pathogenic fungi
topic cellulose
hemicelluloses
lignin
apple tree branch
wheat straw
rapeseed straw
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/23/7220
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