Revealing the Features of the Oxidative Enzyme Production by White-Rot Basidiomycetes During Fermentation of Plant Raw Materials

White rot basidiomycetes (WRB), belonging to one of the most diverse and important groups of living organisms, have the unique ability to completely degrade lignin through an oxidative process catalyzed by extracellular and non-specific lignin-modifying enzymes (LME) consisting of lace, manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, and versatile peroxidase with the assistance of several auxiliary enzymes. Because LME are capable of oxidizing a wide variety of natural and synthetic compounds, these enzymes have received tremendous attention for a variety of industrial and biotechnological applications. Consequently, the demand for these enzymes has increased in recent years, leading to the search for cost-effective production systems. To increase LME yields, various approaches and strategies, such as exploitation of cheap plant raw materials as growth substrates, optimization of fermentation media and cultivation conditions, and development of better bioprocess technologies, have been widely exploited. Literature date evidence that many factors influence the synthesis and secretion of LME and their isoenzymes, but the effects of these factors differ among the fungal species and we still have to understand the whole spectrum of mechanisms that modulate LME production. In this chapter, we summarize recent literature reports and our data on the physiological features of LME production by WRB, focusing on the diversity, common characteristics, and unique properties of individual fungi as well as on several approaches and strategies that provide enhanced (or reduced) secretion of laces and peroxidases.