Localization and induction of oxalate decarboxylase in the brown-rot wood decay fungus Postia placenta

Oxalate decarboxylase (ODC), the enzyme that converts oxalic acid to formic acid and carbon dioxide, was recently isolated from high- and low-decay isolates of the brown-rot wood decay fungus Postia placenta. The enzyme is induced in the presence of concentrations of oxalic acid that inhibit growth and is associated with the hyphal surface and hyphal sheath. A probable role for ODC in P. placenta is to prevent the overaccumulation of oxalic acid, forming a nontoxic, buffered, low-pH environment that facilitates the decay process.