Regulation and production of lignocellulolytic enzymes from Trichoderma reesei for biofuels production

Abstract Lignocellulosic biomass serves as a renewable feedstock for production of biofuels and value-added biochemicals, and biorefinery of lignocellulosic feedstocks contributes greatly to the sustainable development of economy. However, release of fermentable sugars from lignocellulose is suffering from the high cost and low efficiency of lignocellulolytic enzymes. Filamentous fungi, especially Trichoderma reesei, are considered as the most efficient producers of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes, and improvement of enzyme production efficiency and optimization of enzyme composition are of great significance for biorefinery of lignocellulosic biomass. This review introduces the effects of environmental conditions, such as carbon and nitrogen sources, light and pH, on cellulase production from filamentous fungi. In addition, the recent progress on the novel regulatory network and the strategies for efficient cellulase induction and production in filamentous fungi are discussed. Optimization of cellulase ingredients and the effects of accessory enzymes on lignocellulose hydrolysis are also summarized. Efficient production of an optimized cocktail of lignocellulolytic enzymes with improved hydrolysis efficacy will greatly contribute to biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass.