Biodegradation of environmental pollutants by the white rot fungus phanerochaete chrysosporium

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:6331768

Bumpus, J A; Tien, M; Wright, D S; Aust, S D

The white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium secretes a unique hydrogen peroxide-dependent oxidase capable of degrading lignin, a highly complex, chemically resistant, non-repeating heteropolymer. Due to its ability to generate carbon-centered radicals, this enzyme is able to non-specifically catalyze numerous cleavage reactions producing smaller lignin-derived compounds which may then be metabolized by more conventional enzyme systems. The authors have proposed that the lignin-degrading system of this fungus may also have the ability to degrade environmentally persistent organopollutants. In the study P. chrysosporium is shown to able to degrade carbon-14 labeled 1,1'-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (DDT), 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, 2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the gamma isomer of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (Lindane) as well as the non-halo-genated pollutant benzo(a)pyrene to (14)C-carbon dioxide.

• Research Organization: Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6331768
• Report Number(s): PB-93-191351/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
550700* -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALKANES
AROMATICS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIODEGRADATION
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBON 14
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORINATED ALICYCLIC HYDROCARBONS
CLEAVAGE
CONDENSED AROMATICS
CYCLOALKANES
CYCLOHEXANE
DDT
DECOMPOSITION
DIOXIN
ENZYMES
EUMYCOTA
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FUNGI
HALOGENATED ALICYCLIC HYDROCARBONS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
INSECTICIDES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIGNIN
LINDANE
MICROSTRUCTURE
NUCLEI
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXIDOREDUCTASES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEROXIDES
PESTICIDES
PHANEROCHAETE
PLANTS
POLLUTANTS
POLYSACCHARIDES
PROTEINS
PYRENE
RADICALS
RADIOISOTOPES
SACCHARIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES