The present invention provides a laccase exhibiting excellent activity in a pH range that includes alkaline range. Both a laccase comprising the amino acid sequence of a laccase derived from Chrysocorona lucknowensis and a laccase having a similar sequence in which said amino acid sequence serves as the base backbone exhibit excellent activity in a pH range that includes alkaline range.

The present invention relates to laccase variants comprising a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 9, 21, 37, 79, 102, 170, 175, 178, 179, 200, 262, 275, 276, 289, 292, 333, 357, 360, 393, 397, 418, 485, 506, and 518 of the full-length polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

The present invention is in the field of paper production, more in particular it relates to the process of wood pulping. It provides useful biological methods and compounds for reducing the energy requirements of the production of wood pulp. It describes a method for reducing the energy requirement of a thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP) process wherein cellulose fibers are recovered from a biomass comprising lignocellulosic material, wherein the lignocellulosic material is treated with a CotA laccase before recovering the cellulose from the lignocellulosic material.

The present description is related to the field of protein production. It introduces novel host cells with low protease activity, a novel protease regulator, its use in expression systems and protein production, and a method of producing host cells for protein production.

This disclosure is in the technical field of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. More particularly, this disclosure is in the technical field of fermentation of metabolically engineered yeast or fungal cells. This disclosure describes a method for the extracellular production of a di- or oligosaccharide that is derived from UDP-GlcNAc by a yeast or fungal cell as well as the separation of the di- or oligosaccharide from the cultivation. Furthermore, this disclosure provides a metabolically engineered yeast or fungal cell for extracellular production of a di- or oligosaccharide that is derived from UDP-GlcNAc and that is synthesized in the cytosol.

A method for depolymerization of lignin includes oxidizing non-phenolic lignin by putting into presence, in at least one solvent, non-phenolic lignin, laccase, redox mediator and a source of oxygen, whereby a mixture including oxidized non-phenolic lignin is obtained, and further includes depolymerization of the oxidized non-phenolic lignin thereby obtained, by adding an oxidizer. The non-phenolic lignin is obtained from phenolic lignin by functionalization of phenol functions of the phenolic lignin.

The present invention relates to methods of inhibiting AA9 lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase catalyzed inactivation of an enzyme composition or a component thereof, methods for increasing production of an enzyme composition, and methods for stabilizing an enzyme composition.

The object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing technique with which it is possible to improve various properties (particularly properties such as stress, water retention properties, syneresis-suppressing properties, or digestive properties of a fermented food or beverage itself, or properties for shortening the fermentation time during production of a fermented food or beverage) relating to a fermented food or beverage using a plant-protein ingredient. In the production of a fermented food or beverage using a plant-protein ingredient, a plant-cell-wall-derived polysaccharide and a multicopper oxidase are caused to act, thereby improving various properties relating to the fermented food or beverage.

The invention relates to a method for activating a surface by increasing the hydrophilicity and/or for binding target structures, particularly selected from the group consisting of proteins, cellular proteins, proteins, cells, carbohydrates, peptides and amino acids. It also relates to the use of an oxidoreductase for activating a surface for the mentioned bonds and to corresponding activated surfaces.

An enzyme formulation includes an encapsulated fungal enzyme which is effective for degrading at least one material selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, vulcanized rubber, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, vulcanized polymers and perfluorinated compounds. A degradation method includes treating one of the above-mentioned materials with an encapsulated fungal enzyme to degrade the material.