Identification And Molecular Characterisation Of Laccase And Xylanase Producing Fungus Isolated From Paper Mill Effluent

Abstract

The objective of this present study was to isolate a potential fungus and characterize the organism with respect to laccase and xylanase production. The fungal strains were isolated by conventional serial dilution technique from paper mill effluent. Morphological observations showed the presence of 12 isolates and all the 12 fungal strains were screened for their ability to produce both laccase and xylanase by plate screening method using the indicators guaiacol and congo red respectively. Among the 12 isolates, Trichoderma sp. was predicted to be the only strain to produce both laccase and xylanase. The morphological identity of the Trichoderma sp was subsequently corroborated by molecular techniques. The molecular characterisation was performed with partial 18S rRNA sequencing using ITS primer set ITS1/ITS4 targeted to ITS region of rDNA complex and Phylogenetic analysis. All the results obviously explored the presence of novel strain, Trichoderma sp MS 2010, which is an efficient producer of laccase and xylanase. Both enzymes were found to have important industrial applications, thereby Trichoderma sp MS 2010(Genbank accession no: HM 124450) could be exploited to create a pollution free industrial environment.