Production and degradation of oxalic acid by brown rot fungi

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:5381807

Espejo, E; Agosin, E ^[1]

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1. Catholic Univ. of Chile, Santiago (Chile)

Our results show that all of the brown rot fungi tested produce oxalic acid in liquid as well as in semisolid cultures. Gloeophyllum trabeum, which accumulates the lowest amount of oxalic acid during decay of pine holocellulose, showed the highest polysaccharide-depolymerizing activity. Semisolid cultures inoculated with this fungus rapidly converted {sup 14}C-labeled oxalic acid to CO{sub 2} during cellulose depolymerization. The other brown rot fungi also oxidized {sup 14}C-labeled oxalic acid, although less rapidly. In contrast, semisolid cultures inoculated with the white rot fungus Coriolus versicolor did not significantly catabolize the acid and did not depolymerize the holocellulose during decay. Semisolid cultures of G. trabeum amended with desferrioxamine, a specific iron-chelating agent, were unable to lower the degree of polymerization of cellulose or to oxidize {sup 14}C-labeled oxalic acid to the extent or at the rate that control cultures did. These results suggest that both iron and oxalic acid are involved in cellulose depolymerization by brown rot fungi.

• OSTI ID: 5381807
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Vol. 57:7; ISSN 0099-2240
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CELLULOSE
DEPOLYMERIZATION
OXALIC ACID
METABOLISM
BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
FUNGI
IRON
TRACER TECHNIQUES
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ELEMENTS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
METALS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLYSACCHARIDES
SACCHARIDES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques