wood-rotting fungi from the genusTrametes,Pleurotus, Pycnoporus, Coriolopsis,
andCerrena(Morozova et al. 2007 ; Kunamneni et al. 2007 ; Madhavi and Lele
2009 ). Laccase activity has also been reported in bacteria includingAzospirillum
lipoferum, Bacillus subtilis, Bordetella campestris, Caulobactercrescentus,
Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosum, Pseudomonas syringae,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Yersinia pestis, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia,
Streptomyces cyaneus, and Streptomyces ipomoea (Diamantidisa et al. 2000 ;
Chandra and Chowdharya 2015 ; Arias et al. 2003 ; Eugenio et al. 2011 ).
12.3 Ligninolytic Enzymes in Endophytic Fungi
Most endophytic fungi are ascomycetes, though other phyla are also represented.
Literature about ligninolytic enzymes production by endophytes is limited and, in
general, although few ascomycetes have shown the ability for lignin degradation
largely being ignored as liable for the degradation of wood-biomass (Pointing 1999 ;
Liers et al. 2006 ; Shary et al. 2007 ).
Most studies carried out to screen ligninolytic enzymes from fungi were
culture-procurement based beside, culture-dependent (Levin et al. 2004 ;Järvinen
et al. 2012 ). However, recently some microorganisms have been isolated from the
decayed wood of forests in Zimbabwe (Tekere et al. 2001 ), Tunisia (Dhouib et al.
2005 ) and Spain (Barrasa et al. 2009 ; Fillat et al. 2016 ) have been reported. Solid
media facilitate a fast selection of diverse fungi for enzymatic activity (Sunitha et al.
2013 ; Niku-Paavola et al. 1988 ). Different substrates as ABTS (2,2′-azinobis-
(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), naphthol and Poly R-478 have been
assayed for the search of lignin-degrading enzymes in endophytes isolated from
living plants (Table12.1). A solid screening suggests that fungal endophytes
possess enzymatic machinery, which could produce decay of wood under certain
conditions (Oses et al. 2006 ). Ligninolytic activities in basidiomycetous fungi
associated with woody trees, isolated from the Chilean tree speciesDrymiswinteri
andPrumnopitysandina,were found using Poly R-478 (Oses et al. 2006 ). Only two
endophytes, Xylariasp. from Xylariaceae and Curvularia brachyspora from
Pleosporaceae, were positive in naphthol from twelve different species isolated
from four medicinal plants (Adhatodav asicaNees,Costus igneusN.E.Br.Coleus
aromaticusBenth andLawsonia inermisLinn) (Amirita et al.2012b). Fifty fungal
strains, isolated from medicinal plants (Alpiniacalcarata, Bixaorellana,
Calophyllum inophyllum,andCatharanthusroseus) were selected for extracellular
enzymes and thirty percent of the fungi screened showed naphthol oxidation from
different families (Table12.1) (Sunitha et al. 2013 ). Endophytic fungi community
ofAcer truncatumtrees was investigated and seventeen from twenty isolates oxi-
dized the substrate naphthol, as indicated in Table12.1(Sun et al. 2011 ).
A new screening study with an enormous amount of strains isolated from
eucalyptus trees in Spain has recently been published (Fillat et al. 2016 ) (Fig.12.2).
In this study, strains of endophytic fungi isolated fromE. globulustrees in different
12 Potential of Lignin-Degrading Endophytic Fungi... 265