16 Biotechnology of Marine Fungi: New Workhorses and
Applications
ANNEMARIE KRAMER
1
, ANTJE LABES
1
CONTENTS
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
II. Marine Fungi: A Disputed Group with High
Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
A. Taxonomic and Phylogenetic
Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
B. Fungal Role in the Marine Environment . . . 401
III. Biotechnology of Marine Fungi: Challenges
and Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
A. Cultivation of Marine Fungi: Same But
Different? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
B. Availability of Strain Collections . . . . . . . . . . 403
C. Genetic Background as a Prerequisite for
Biotechnological Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
IV. Biotechnological Products and Processes:
From Potential to Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
A. Bioactive Natural Products: Secondary
Metabolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
B. Enzymes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
C. Compatible Solutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
D. “Detox” Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
V. How to Design Biotechnological Processes for
True Marine Fungi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
VI. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
I. Introduction
The diversity in the fungal tree of live and their
manifold ecological functionalities are not yet
reflected in the applied variety of taxonomic
groups and the diversity of products on the
market. Recently, new ecological niches and
habitats including the oceans came into focus
to increase the diversity of fungi available for
biotechnology (Manohar and Raghukumar
2013). Marine fungi have been neglected for a
long time and therefore the knowledge of them
is still quite rare. But early screening campaigns
revealed that marine fungi are an excellent
source for new natural products, indicating
their potential for biotechnological application. Especially fungi from unique and extreme
marine environments, such as the deep sea, are
potentially a promising source for rare and
unusual compounds (Fenical and Jensen 1993;
Vignesh et al. 2011).
The latest large review on marine fungi and
their biotechnological potential was published
in 2015 (Bonugli-Santos et al. 2015), reflecting
on the findings from basic research. This
knowledge is rarely transferred into the scientific and bioengineering community working
with terrestrial fungi and their biotechnological
application.
Here, we aim to illustrate the marine fungal
diversity and its potential for biotechnology,
describe the current stage of technological realization, and highlight special challenges in
working with marine fungi. We hope to provide
access to this amazing source to the fungal
biotech and scientific community.
II. Marine Fungi: A Disputed Group
with High Diversity
A. Taxonomic and Phylogenetic
Considerations
Within the marine microorganisms, fungi are
still a poorly investigated group. For many
years, the presence of fungi in marine habitats
was negated, mainly as a consequence of their
1 Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Flensburg,
Germany; e-mail: antje.labes@hs-flensburg.de
Genetics and Biotechnology, 3 rd Edition
The Mycota II
J.P. Benz, K. Schipper (Eds.)
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Applications
ANNEMARIE KRAMER
1
, ANTJE LABES
1
CONTENTS
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
II. Marine Fungi: A Disputed Group with High
Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
A. Taxonomic and Phylogenetic
Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
B. Fungal Role in the Marine Environment . . . 401
III. Biotechnology of Marine Fungi: Challenges
and Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
A. Cultivation of Marine Fungi: Same But
Different? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
B. Availability of Strain Collections . . . . . . . . . . 403
C. Genetic Background as a Prerequisite for
Biotechnological Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
IV. Biotechnological Products and Processes:
From Potential to Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
A. Bioactive Natural Products: Secondary
Metabolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
B. Enzymes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
C. Compatible Solutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
D. “Detox” Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
V. How to Design Biotechnological Processes for
True Marine Fungi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
VI. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
I. Introduction
The diversity in the fungal tree of live and their
manifold ecological functionalities are not yet
reflected in the applied variety of taxonomic
groups and the diversity of products on the
market. Recently, new ecological niches and
habitats including the oceans came into focus
to increase the diversity of fungi available for
biotechnology (Manohar and Raghukumar
2013). Marine fungi have been neglected for a
long time and therefore the knowledge of them
is still quite rare. But early screening campaigns
revealed that marine fungi are an excellent
source for new natural products, indicating
their potential for biotechnological application. Especially fungi from unique and extreme
marine environments, such as the deep sea, are
potentially a promising source for rare and
unusual compounds (Fenical and Jensen 1993;
Vignesh et al. 2011).
The latest large review on marine fungi and
their biotechnological potential was published
in 2015 (Bonugli-Santos et al. 2015), reflecting
on the findings from basic research. This
knowledge is rarely transferred into the scientific and bioengineering community working
with terrestrial fungi and their biotechnological
application.
Here, we aim to illustrate the marine fungal
diversity and its potential for biotechnology,
describe the current stage of technological realization, and highlight special challenges in
working with marine fungi. We hope to provide
access to this amazing source to the fungal
biotech and scientific community.
II. Marine Fungi: A Disputed Group
with High Diversity
A. Taxonomic and Phylogenetic
Considerations
Within the marine microorganisms, fungi are
still a poorly investigated group. For many
years, the presence of fungi in marine habitats
was negated, mainly as a consequence of their
1 Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Flensburg,
Germany; e-mail: antje.labes@hs-flensburg.de
Genetics and Biotechnology, 3 rd Edition
The Mycota II
J.P. Benz, K. Schipper (Eds.)
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020