Trees are host to a bewildering array of fungi. Fungi that live inside the tree’s body (rather than on the surface) are known as endophytes. Endophytic fungi produce a lot of interesting chemical compounds, including antibiotics and hydrocarbons.
Gary Strobel and his research group at Montana State University have found a fungal endophyte in a Peruvian tree that produces a complex array of hydrocarbons that resemble diesel fuel. They are calling this mix of products mycodiesel.
The fungus, Gliocladium roseum, can produce mycodiesel using cellulose as a substrate in culture. This suggests that the fungus is a wood decay organism, though its biological role as an endophyte is not known (some endophytes cause disease, some protect trees from disease, some have no known role). The fungus was found on the Peruvian tree ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia)
The big question that many people will ask is whether the fungus can be made to produce enough diesel-like fuel to make it economically important. While the popular press is trumpeting mycodiesel as the fuel of the future, it is way too early to know whether the discovery is of any commercial significance. Making the transition from laboratory yields to industrial yields is a long and expensive process.
But there is no question that this is a discovery of substantial biological importance. Teasing apart the mechanisms that allow this fungus to produce so many hydrocarbons will illuminate the biochemistry of hydrocarbon biosynthesis in fungi.
The discovery is also a testament to the career-long commitment of Professor Strobel to research on endophytic fungi. His lab has produced a consistent stream of important research results based on his passion for these fungi, which have largely been ignored by other biologists.
Picture: Gliocladium roseum, an endophytic fungus from the Peruvian tree Ulmo. Photo from Gary Strobel’s lab.
Sources:
- The production of myco-diesel hydrocarbons and their derivatives by the endophytic fungus Gliocladium roseum (NRRL 50072) — Strobel et al. 154 (11): 3319 – Microbiology.
- Full article as a .pdf from Gary Strobel’s web site
- MSU-led team finds new type of fuel in Patagonia fungus – MSU Press Release
- Scientists discover tree fungus that could provide green fuel for transport – The Guardian
- Endophytes, from Fungal Biology, University of Sydney, Australia
