Production of Industrial Enzymes in Trichoderma reesei

Trichoderma reesei (teleomorph Hypocrea jecorina) is one of the two major fungal platforms for industrial enzyme production, along with Aspergillus sp. Its use derives from its history as a model organism for studies on cellulose degradation and its cellulase enzyme complex since the 1940s, which suggested its use for industrial bioethanol manufacturing during the oil crisis in the mid 1970s. Extensive strain development campaigns by different laboratories proved that the wild type isolate QM6a can be developed into superior production strains, and later the genetic tools were established for the species, which allowed the strains to be tailored for maximum productivity with optimised backgrounds. T. reesei has now maintained its position as a highly productive, easy-to-handle, robust and safe cell factory for more than 40 years. The recently revived interest in lignocellulosic bioethanol paved the way for a comeback in the use of T. reesei native cellulase complex, whereas advances in the development of molecular biology tools—such as bioinformatics and mating—have provided further refinements in the modern strain development of T. reesei for enzyme and other protein production in virtually all segments of industrial biotechnology.