Cellular and Molecular Biology
Open Access

Commentary

Effect of Ethidium Bromide on Extracellular Laccase Production by Pleurotus citrinopileatus

In the present study, we used chemical mutagen ethidium bromide (EtBr) to enhance/induce the production of extracellular laccase enzyme by Pleurotus citrinopileatus. Initially grown on the malt extract agar (MEA) media treated with different concentration of EtBr, the extracellular laccase production was tested in artificial media under static condition. Maximum extracellular laccase production (19.67 U/ml) was recorded when Pleurotus citrinopileatus was grown on MEA treated with 1.5 μg/ml ethidium bromide as compared to other concentrations and control. As the concentration increases the production of extracellular laccase activity was decreased. In another experiment when ethidium bromide pre-treated fungal culture was grown in media devoid of EtBr, it produced a fourfold increase in extracellular laccase production. In third attempt, interesting results were found; when pre-treated culture was grown of EtBr supplemented media with 1.5 μg/ml, there was a twofold increase in extracellular laccase production. The enhanced production of extracellular laccase enzyme in economically cheap formula can have multiple applications

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