Methods for degrading or converting cellulosic material

1. A method for degrading or converting a cellulosic material to fermentable sugars, comprising: treating the cellulosic material with an enzyme composition in the presence of a polypeptide having catalase activity, wherein the polypeptide having catalase activity is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) a polypeptide having at least 70% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 the sequence of amino acids 20 to 733 of SEQ ID NO: 4, or the sequence of amino acids 20 to 765 of SEQ ID NO: 6;

(b) a polypeptide encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under high stringency conditions with (i) the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 2418 of SEQ ID NO: 3, or the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 3040 of SEQ ID NO: 5, (ii) the cDNA sequence thereof, or (iii) the full-length complement of (i) or (ii);

(c) a polypeptide encoded by a polynucleotide having at least 70% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1,the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 2418 of SEQ ID NO: 3, the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 3040 of SEQ ID NO: 5, or the cDNA sequence thereof; and

(d) a fragment of the polypeptide of (a), (b), or (c) that has catalase activity;

wherein the presence of the polypeptide having catalase activity increases the production of fermentable sugars, as compared to a degradation or conversion of a cellulosic material not in the presence of a polypeptide having catalase activity.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme composition comprises one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting of a cellulase, a GH61 polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity, a hemicellulase, an esterase, an expansin, a laccase, a ligninolytic enzyme, a pectinase, a peroxidase, a protease, and a swollenin.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of agricultural residue, herbaceous material, municipal solid waste, pulp and paper mill residue, waste paper, and wood; preferably, arundo, bagasse, bamboo, corn cob, corn fiber, corn stover, miscanthus, orange peel, rice straw, switchgrass, wheat straw, eucalyptus, fir, pine, poplar, spruce, willow, algal cellulose, bacterial cellulose, cotton linter, filter paper, microcrystalline cellulose, or phosphoric-acid treated cellulose.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic material is pretreated, especially by chemical pretreatment, physical pretreatment, or biochemical pretreatment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide has at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, the sequence of amino acids 20 to 733 of SEQ ID NO: 4, or the sequence of amino acids 20 to 765 of SEQ ID NO: 6.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide has at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, the sequence of amino acids 20 to 733 of SEQ ID NO: 4, or the sequence of amino acids 20 to 765 of SEQ ID NO: 6.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide has at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, the sequence of amino acids 20 to 733 of SEQ ID NO: 4, or the sequence of amino acids 20 to 765 of SEQ ID NO: 6.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a polynucleotide having at least 80% sequence identity to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58to 2418 of SEQ ID NO: 3, or the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 3040 of SEQ ID NO: 5.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a polynucleotide having at least 90% sequence identity to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 2418 of SEQ ID NO: 3, or the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 3040 of SEQ ID NO: 5.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a polynucleotide having at least 95% sequence identity to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 2418 of SEQ ID NO: 3, or the nucleic acid sequence of nucleotides 58 to 3040 of SEQ ID NO: 5.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high stringency conditions are defined as prehybridization and hybridization at 42° C. in 5×SSPE, 0.3% SDS, 200 micrograms/mL sheared and denatured salmon sperm DNA, and 50% formamide, following standard Southern blotting procedures, followed by washing three times each for 15 minutes using 2×SSC, 0.2% SDS at 65° C.