Fungal strains

Abstract

The present invention provides improved fungal strains. In some embodiments, the improved fungal strains find use in hydrolyzing cellulosic material to glucose.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An enzyme mixture comprising two or more cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes, wherein at least one of the two or more cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes is expressed by a fungal cell that has been genetically modified to reduce the amount of endogenous glucose and/or cellobiose oxidizing enzyme activity that is produced by the fungal cell. 
     
     
         2 . An enzyme mixture comprising two or more cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes, wherein at least one of the two or more cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes is expressed by a fungal cell that has been genetically modified to reduce the amount of endogenous glucose and/or cellobiose oxidizing enzyme activity that is secreted by the fungal cell. 
     
     
         3 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , comprising two or more cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes, wherein at least one of the two or more cellulose hydrolyzing enzymes is expressed by a fungal cell that has been genetically modified to reduce the amount of endogenous glucose and/or cellobiose oxidizing enzyme activity that is secreted by the fungal cell and further to increase the expression of at least one saccharide hydrolyzing enzyme. 
     
     
         4 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme mixture is a cell-free mixture. 
     
     
         5 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , wherein a substrate of the enzyme mixture comprises pretreated lignocellulose. 
     
     
         6 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme mixture comprises at least one cellulase enzyme selected from endoglucanases (EGs), beta-glucosidases (BGLs), Type 1 cellobiohydrolases (CBH1s), Type 2 cellobiohydrolases (CBH2s), and/or glycoside hydrolase 61s (GH61s), and/or variants of said cellulase enzyme. 
     
     
         7 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 6 , wherein the enzyme mixture comprises at least one beta-glucosidase. 
     
     
         8 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one cellobiose dehydrogenase. 
     
     
         9 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 8 , wherein said celliobiose dehydrogenase is CDH1 and/or CDH2. 
     
     
         10 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one cellulase enzyme and/or at least one additional enzyme. 
     
     
         11 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme mixture has been subjected to a purification process to selectively remove one or more glucose and/or cellobiose oxidizing enzymes from the enzyme mixture. 
     
     
         12 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 11 , wherein the purification process comprises selective precipitation to separate the glucose and/or cellobiose oxidizing enzymes from other enzymes present in the enzyme mixture. 
     
     
         13 . The enzyme mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the enzyme mixture comprises an inhibitor of one or more glucose and/or cellobiose oxidizing enzymes.