2026-10-14T16:00:12Z https://www.scidb.cn/oai

10.57760/sciencedb.013vi 2026-09-28T16:06:38Z

2026-09-28 Uncovering the intrinsic lignin-metabolizing machinery of Myceliophthora thermophila for integrated lignocellulose valorization doi:10.57760/sciencedb.013vi en Lignin accounts for up to one-third of plant biomass, representing the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth. The thermophilic ascomycete fungus, Myceliophthora thermophila, is widely recognized for its robust capacity to deconstruct cellulose and hemicellulose and it has been developed into a platform for producing value-added chemicals from lignocellulose. However, its potential for lignin metabolism remains largely unexplored, limiting comprehensive biomass utilization. In this study, we demonstrated that M. thermophila possesses an innate capacity for lignin utilization. Furthermore, we showed that this fungus metabolizes a broad spectrum of lignin-derived aromatic monomers. By integrating transcriptomic profiling with targeted gene deletions, the key lignin-derived aromatics metabolic pathways were elucidated. Specifically, we identified that M. thermophila funnels diverse p-hydroxyphenyl (H) and guaiacyl (G) aromatic monomers into the 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (protocatechuic acid, 3,4-DHB) branch of the β-ketoadipate pathway. Importantly, disruption of the protocatechuate hydroxylase and 3,4-dioxygenase genes successfully redirected metabolic flux, enabling efficient bioconversion of H- and G- type monomers into 3,4-DHB with molar yields ranging from 42.5% to 95.8%. Moreover, the engineered strains achieved direct production of 3,4-DHB from raw corncob. These findings reveal the intrinsic lignin-assimilating machinery of M. thermophila and establish a critical foundation for integrated lignocellulose biorefineries and aromatic bioprocessing. Myceliophthora thermophila; Lignin; Transcriptome; Lignin metabolism; Protocatechuic acid Defei Liu刘德飞 Rongmei Yang闫荣媚 Yutong Ge戈雨桐 Yuying Zhang张玉滢 Jingen Li李金根 Chaoguang Tian田朝光 RESTRICTED dataset Science Data Bank