The putative β-glucosidase BGL3I regulates cellulase induction in Trichoderma reesei

BACKGROUND: The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (anamorph of Hypocrea jecorina) displays increased cellulase expression while growing on inducers such as lactose or cellulose. However, the mechanism of cellulase induction in T. reesei is not yet completely characterized. Here, a protein annotated as β-glucosidase (BGL3I) was found to be involved in cellulase induction in T. reesei. The effects of BGL3I on cellulase production have not yet been fully understood. RESULTS: Deletion of the bgl3i gene had no influence on the growth of T. reesei, but significantly increased its cellulase activities. Deletion of bgl3i also resulted in decreased extracellular galactosidase activity, but significantly increased transcription of lactose permeases, which might be involved in lactose transport. Furthermore, deletion of bgl3i enhanced the transcription levels of intracellular β-glucosidases cel1a, cel1b and the regulator xyr1, which are all essential for lactose induction in T. reesei. BGL3I was found to have a relatively high ability to hydrolyze sophorose, which is proposed to be the strongest natural inducer of cellulase synthesis in T. reesei. CONCLUSIONS: BGL3I may take part in the complex regulating system of cellulase induction. The deletion of bgl3i offers a new strategy to improve T. reesei strain performance. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13068-018-1314-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.