The Copper-Controlled RNA Interference System in Trichoderma reesei.

Abstract

Trichoderma reesei is capable of secreting large amounts of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes. Although the genome sequence of T. reesei has been available, the molecular mechanisms of the hyper-production of cellulases, including the transcriptional regulation and the protein secretion, have not been completely elucidated yet. This is partially due to the lack of genetic manipulation approaches. RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for functional genomic studies in eukaryotes. Some successful examples of RNAi have already been reported; however, these systems were either uncontrolled or relied on a nutrient source inducible promoter. Here, we present a copper-controlled RNAi system in T. reesei for reversible silencing of different target genes. As the proof of concept, T.reesei xyr1, the key transcriptionalactivator of cellulase genes, has been knocked down using this method.