Data for Wood decay under anoxia by the brown-rot Fomitopsis pinicola

While their degradative mechanisms are well-studied under aerobic conditions, less is known about their activity in oxygen-depleted environments. In a field study, we identified using metaproteomics the active wood-decomposing fungi and their enzymes at different depths from the wood surface, including in oxygen-depleted conditions.

In vitro, we observed using different setups that the brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola can grow on wood in complete anoxia. Using 13C solid-state NMR, we demonstrated the degradation of plant cell wall polysaccharides and fungal growth in the absence of oxygen. Proteomic analyses revealed that F. pinicola switches from a Fenton chemistry decaying process under aerobic conditions to the secretion of a full set of plant cell wall-active enzymes in anoxia.