Prospects of Wood-Degrading Fungi as Catalysts in Organic Chemistry

ABSTRACT: Wood-degrading fungi (WDF) possess an exceptionally diverse enzymatic repertoire that has evolved to depolymerize lignin, one of the most recalcitrant biopolymers found in nature, and to deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass. Over recent decades, these organisms have also attracted growing interest for their capacity to transform a wide range of organic pollutants and xenobiotic compounds. In addition to their central ecological role in lignocellulose turnover, WDF display striking catalytic versatility and can mediate numerous oxidative and reductive transformations of organic molecules. These encompass the oxidation of aromatic, olefinic, and aliphatic substrates, as well as alcohols and aldehydes, along with the reduction of various carbonyl compounds. This review surveys representative biotransformations catalyzed by WDF and highlights their potential as biocatalysts in organic synthesis. Both whole-cell systems and isolated enzymes are considered, illustrating the broad reaction scope and frequently outstanding selectivity achievable with these organisms. Despite the inherent complexity of living fungal cultures, which comprise thousands of enzymes and metabolites whose composition evolves over the course of cultivation, many documented transformations proceed with remarkable chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity. Recent advances in fungal genomics, bioinformatics, protein engineering and bioprocess development have substantially deepened our understanding of the catalytic machinery of WDF and created new opportunities for their rational application. As a result, WDF are increasingly recognized as a valuable source of biocatalysts for sustainable, selective synthetic transformations and for the development of innovative processes in the bioeconomy.