Fungal Endophytes: A Resource for Producing Extracellular Enzymes
摘要
Fungal endophytes are endosymbionts that coexist asymptomatically with plants during various phases of growth and development. They attracted a lot of interest as a valuable and mostly unexplored resource for the manufacture of extracellular enzymes. These symbiotic fungi increase the resilience and health of plants by producing a wide variety of enzymes that are vital for different biochemical processes. Extracellular enzymes are produced by the proliferation of microorganisms and are involved in a variety of biological and environmental activities that take place outside of cells. This chapter illustrates that some key enzymes produced by the endophytic fungi are cellulases, ligninase, pectinases, amylases, xylanases, proteases, lipases, phytases, chitinases, polyphenol oxidases, peroxidase, laccase, etc. These enzymes have critical roles in agriculture like in bioremediation, waste degradation and detoxification, and industries such as biomass conversion, biofuel production, and pharmaceuticals. Various factors like host plant species, signaling chemical, age of plant, pH, temperature, moisture content, nutrient availability, and fungal strain influence the tendency of enzyme production. Additionally, this chapter discusses the adaptability of fungal endophytes to various environmental conditions and methods of enhancing production of enzymes by optimization of fermentation condition, advanced genetic engineering methods like CRISPR/cas9 and CRISPRi technology, and co-cultivation. Significant improvements in environmentally friendly technologies, industrial processes, and sustainable technologies can result from using the enzymatic capability of fungal endophytes. This study emphasizes the need of continuing research to identify new enzymes from fungal endophytes with enhanced functions and a wide range of applications.