title: Proteases of Wood Rot Fungi with Emphasis on the Genus Pleurotus.
abstract: Proteases are present in all living organisms and they play an important role in physiological conditions. Cell growth and death, blood clotting, and immune defense are all examples of the importance of proteases in maintaining homeostasis. There is growing interest in proteases due to their use for industrial purposes. The search for proteases with specific characteristics is designed to reduce production costs and to find suitable properties for certain industrial sectors, as well as good producing organisms. Ninety percent of commercialized proteases are obtained from microbial sources and proteases from macromycetes have recently gained prominence in the search for new enzymes with specific characteristics. The production of proteases from saprophytic basidiomycetes has led to the identification of various classes of proteases. The genus Pleurotus has been extensively studied because of its ligninolytic enzymes. The characteristics of this genus are easy cultivation techniques, high yield, low nutrient requirements, and excellent adaptation. There are few studies in the literature about proteases of Pleurotus spp. This review gathers together information about proteases, especially those derived from basidiomycetes, and aims at stimulating further research about fungal proteases because of their physiological importance and their application in various industries such as biotechnology and medicine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil ; Federal Institute of Paraná, Campus Jacarezinho, Avenue Doutor Tito s/n, Jardim Panorama, 86400-000 Jacarezinho, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabíola Dorneles
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Inácio
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roselene Oliveira
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Caroline Aparecida Vaz
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Araujo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiane
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brugnari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castoldi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosane Marina
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Peralta
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Avenue Colombo 5790, 87015-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristina Giatti Marques
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020076:Pleurotus / Q000201:enzymology*; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases