Extraction Conditions Affect Protein Recovery and Enzyme Activity in Wood Wafers Exposed to Stain Fungi and Bioprotectants

SummaryWe investigated the ability of selected buffers to extract proteins and other materials from the surfaces and subsurfaces of ponderosa pine wafers colonized by selected wood stain fungi and potential bioprotectant bacteria. The effects of extraction conditions on enzyme activity were also analyzed. The addition of Tween 80 to the extraction media markedly enhanced total protein recovery as well as enzyme activity. Increasing the extraction time from 6 to 12 hours failed to increase total protein recovery, indicating that either most of the protein was removed earlier or proteases in the wood had attacked proteins liberated during extraction. Relatively short extractions using sodium acetate buffer amended with Tween 80, therefore, produced the best protein recovery and enzyme activity. These conditions can be used for extracting wood colonized by various combinations of stain fungi and bacterial bioprotectants to study the effects of the interaction on physiologic activities of the target fungi.