Comparative studies of extracellular fungal laccases.

Various basidiomycetes, ascomycetes, and deuteromycetes, grown in a sugar-rich liquid medium, were compared for laccase-producing ability and for the inducing effect of 2,5-xylidine on laccase production. Clear stimulation of the extracellular enzyme formation by xylidine was obtained in the cultures of Fomes annosus, Pholiota mutabilis, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Trametes versicolor, whereas Rhizoctonia praticola and Botrytis cinerea were not affected by the xylidine, and in the case of Podospora anserina a decrease in laccase activity was observed. The laccases were purified, and electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels indicated a particular pattern for each laccase. The bands of the induced forms appeared only with basidiomycetes. The optimal pH of R. praticola laccase was in the neutral region, whereas the optima of all the other exolaccases were significantly lower (between pH 3.0 and 5.7). All laccases oxidized the methoxyphenolic acids under investigation, but there existed quantitative differences in oxidation efficiencies which depended on pH and on the nature (noninduced or induced) of the enzyme. The sensitivity of all enzymes to inhibitors did not differ considerably.