CYP gene functional analysis screening system constructed at Shizuoka University

A research group led by Professor Hirofumi Hirai from the Faculty of Global Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation at Shizuoka University has comprehensively analyzed 214 cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) genes present in the YK-624 strain of the highly active lignin-degrading fungus Phanerochaete sordida and constructed a novel screening system that enables functional evaluation. The team successfully degraded four types of environmental contaminants and identified the CYPs involved in the degradation process. Wide-ranging applications are expected in bioremediation of environmental contaminants and production of pharmaceutical precursors. Their research was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

White-rot fungi are the only microorganisms capable of highly degrading lignin, a major component of wood, and in recent years, the degradation of recalcitrant organic compounds has attracted attention. CYPs in particular are known as multifunctional enzymes involved in environmental contaminant degradation, natural product synthesis, and pharmaceutical biotransformation. However, due to their large variety and functional diversity, elucidating the function of individual enzymes has been difficult, and the construction of a comprehensive evaluation system has been demanded.

In this research, the group identified 214 CYP genes from the genome of the YK-624 strain of the highly active lignin-degrading fungus P. sordida, classified 208 of them into 31 families, and determined that 6 may be novel or unclassified. Furthermore, they constructed a heterologous expression system (yeast system) by combining the CYP genes obtained with CYP reductase genes and used this system to search for CYPs involved in actual environmental contaminant degradation, successfully identifying CYPs that exhibit catalytic activity.

By utilizing the screening system established in this study, it is expected that the functional identification of previously uncharacterized CYPs will be accelerated. This will enable wide-ranging applications, including biotransformation of pharmaceutical precursors and high-value-added compounds, and the degradation of recalcitrant contaminants in the environment. Furthermore, this technology can be extended to other fungi and microorganisms and has the potential to become a foundational technology in future biological resource development.

Hirai commented: "We have been developing research on the degradation and detoxification of environmental contaminants using the P. sordida YK-624 strain. While CYP involvement was inferred in the degradation of most environmental contaminants, we have always asked the question, 'Which CYPs are involved?' We are extremely pleased to have constructed a system that can elucidate this."

Journal Information
Publication: Journal of Hazardous Materials
Title: Construction of a comprehensive functional screening system for Phanerochaete sordida YK-624 cytochrome P450s: Identification of catalytic enzymes for emerging contaminant degradation
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137666