A multi-omics approach to lignocellulolytic enzyme discovery reveals a new ligninase activity from Parascedosporium putredinis NO1

Lignocellulose, in the form of crop residues, presents an attractive alternative to crude oil for both the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. Its large-scale application as a feedstock, however, remains limited. A bottleneck in its implementation is the presence of lignin that envelopes the structure, physically blocking access to sugar-rich polymers that lie beneath. Here, we describe the isolation of an exceptional lignocellulose-degrading fungus that produces new oxidase activity with no cofactor requirements. This enzyme cleaves β-ether units in lignin-releasing tricin, a flavonoid of pharmaceutical potential, from the lignin macromolecule. Furthermore, we demonstrate that treatments with this enzyme can increase the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass, offering the possibility of producing a valuable product from lignin while decreasing processing costs.