LACCASE IMMUNOLABELING AND MICROANALYTICAL ANALYSIS OF WOOD DEGRADED BY LENTINUS-EDODES

Laccase has been studied recently in both pure enzymatic, and 'enzyme plus mediator' systems described for the degradation of lignin in wood and pulp. In this study we use TEM immunolabelling probes to label th e laccase enzyme and determine where the enzyme is located during wood degradation by Lentinus edodes. Wood degraded by L. edodes was also o bserved using two-dimensional ultraviolet analysis to determine the ex tent of lignin degradation, and the relationship between lignin degrad ation and enzymatic action. Despite extensive degradation of lignin in the wood cell wall and cell corner region of the wood, no penetration of the laccase enzyme into the wood cell wall was observed during the first eight weeks of fungal attack. Degradation of the lignin fractio n of the wood cell wall by compounds of lower molecular weight than en zymes is implicated by this work.