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Enrichment, isolation and characterization of fungi tolerant to 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate

2011; Oxford University Press; Volume: 110; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.04959.x

1365-2672

Steven W. Singer, Amitha P. Reddy, John M. Gladden, Hong Guo, Terry C. Hazen, Blake A. Simmons, Jean S. VanderGheynst,

Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development

This work aimed to characterize microbial tolerance to 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]), an ionic liquid that has emerged as a novel biomass pretreatment for lignocellulosic biomass. Enrichment experiments performed using inocula treated with [C2mim][OAc] under solid and liquid cultivation yielded fungal populations dominated by Aspergilli. Ionic liquid-tolerant Aspergillus isolates from these enrichments were capable of growing in a radial plate growth assay in the presence of 10% [C2mim][OAc]. When a [C2mim][OAc]-tolerant Aspergillus fumigatus strain was grown in the presence of switchgrass, endoglucanases and xylanases were secreted that retained residual enzymatic activity in the presence of 20% [C2mim][OAc]. The results of the study suggest that tolerance to ionic liquids is a general property of the Aspergilli. Tolerance to an industrially important ionic liquid was discovered in a fungal genera that is widely used in biotechnology, including biomass deconstruction.