Research Area Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9/166-5, 1060, Vienna, Austria.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2010 Jul;87(3):787-99. doi: 10.1007/s00253-010-2632-1. Epub 2010 May 12.
Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are soilborne, green-spored ascomycetes that can be found all over the world. They have been studied with respect to various characteristics and applications and are known as successful colonizers of their habitats, efficiently fighting their competitors. Once established, they launch their potent degradative machinery for decomposition of the often heterogeneous substrate at hand. Therefore, distribution and phylogeny, defense mechanisms, beneficial as well as deleterious interaction with hosts, enzyme production and secretion, sexual development, and response to environmental conditions such as nutrients and light have been studied in great detail with many species of this genus, thus rendering Trichoderma one of the best studied fungi with the genome of three species currently available. Efficient biocontrol strains of the genus are being developed as promising biological fungicides, and their weaponry for this function also includes secondary metabolites with potential applications as novel antibiotics. The cellulases produced by Trichoderma reesei, the biotechnological workhorse of the genus, are important industrial products, especially with respect to production of second generation biofuels from cellulosic waste. Genetic engineering not only led to significant improvements in industrial processes but also to intriguing insights into the biology of these fungi and is now complemented by the availability of a sexual cycle in T. reesei/Hypocrea jecorina, which significantly facilitates both industrial and basic research. This review aims to give a broad overview on the qualities and versatility of the best studied Trichoderma species and to highlight intriguing findings as well as promising applications.
木霉属真菌是土壤中存在的、绿色孢子的子囊菌，在世界各地都有发现。它们已经被研究了各种特性和应用，被认为是其栖息地的成功殖民者，能够有效地与竞争者作斗争。一旦建立，它们就会启动其强大的降解机制，分解手头通常异质的基质。因此，分布和系统发育、防御机制、与宿主的有益和有害相互作用、酶的产生和分泌、有性发育以及对营养物质和光照等环境条件的响应等方面都已经在许多木霉属物种中进行了详细研究，从而使木霉属成为研究最深入的真菌之一，目前有三个物种的基因组可供研究。作为有前途的生物杀菌剂，该属的高效生物防治菌株正在被开发，它们用于这一功能的武器还包括具有作为新型抗生素应用潜力的次生代谢物。里氏木霉产生的纤维素酶是该属的生物技术骨干，是重要的工业产品，特别是在利用纤维素废物生产第二代生物燃料方面。遗传工程不仅导致了工业过程的显著改进，而且还深入了解了这些真菌的生物学，现在又有了里氏木霉/拟康氏木霉的有性周期的可用性，这极大地促进了工业和基础研究。本文综述的目的是广泛概述研究最深入的木霉属物种的特性和多功能性，并强调有趣的发现和有前途的应用。
