Bioprospecting of Fungi for Lignin Degradation and Enzyme Production

Many researchers have reported the potential of laccase to oxidize both phenolic and nonphenolic compounds. This enzyme can be used in a wide range of chemical reactions and industrial applications, including bioremediation, nanobiotechnology, paper industries, bleaching paper pulp, textile dyeing, biotechnological applications in the food industry, biorefining, wastewater detoxification, organic matter production from phenolic and amine substrates, and biofuels. This chapter shed some light on the bioprospecting of fungal laccase. The fungal laccase is of great importance in many environmental and industrial applications. This chapter describes some possible sources for the isolation of laccase-producing fungus. The properties of fungal laccase were described at proteomic and genomic aspects. Moreover, the strategies for increasing laccase production through optimization and genetic engineering were also described. Finally, the key application of laccase in some important biotransformation was elaborated along with other applications of fungal laccases.