A Swollenin From JCM12802 Enhances Cellulase Hydrolysis Toward Various Substrates.

Swollenins exist within some fungal species and are candidate accessory proteins for the biodegradation of cellulosic substrates. Here, we describe the identification of a swollenin gene, , in JCM12802. was successfully expressed in both and . Assay results indicate that SWO is capable of releasing reducing sugars from lichenan, barley β-glucan, carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na) and laminarin. The specific activity of SWO toward lichenan, barley β-glucan, carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na) and laminarin is 9.0 ± 0.100, 8.9 ± 0.100, 2.3 ± 0.002 and 0.79 ± 0.002 U/mg, respectively. Additionally, SWO had disruptive activity on Avicel and a synergistic effect with cellobiohydrolases, increasing the activity on pretreated corn stover by up to 72.2%. The functional diversity of SWO broadens its applicability in experimental settings, and indicating that it may be a promising candidate for future industrial applications.