Water-soluble products from the degradation of aspen lignin by <i>Phanerochaete chrysosporium</i>

Abstract

When Phanerochaete chrysosporium degrades [ 14 C] lignin-labelled aspen wood in static liquid culture, it releases almost as much 14 C in water-soluble form as in 14 CO 2 . Water-soluble ultraviolet-absorbing materials also accumulate in cultures that are degrading lignin. The water-soluble radioactive materials appear to be intermediates in lignin degradation, because they can be further metabolized to CO 2 and because the soluble materials labelled during [ 14 C] lignin degradation are distinct from the materials labelled during [ 14 C] glucose metabolism. These lignin degradation products can be fractionated by gel chromatography and are mostly acidic.