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Screening pentachlorophenol degradation ability by environmental fungal strains belonging to the phyla Ascomycota and Zygomycota

  • Original Paper
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Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) bioremediation by the fungal strains amongst the cork-colonising community has not yet been analysed. In this paper, the co- and direct metabolism of PCP by each of the 17 fungal species selected from this community were studied. Using hierarchical data analysis, the isolates were ranked by their PCP bioremediation potential. Fifteen isolates were able to degrade PCP under co-metabolic conditions, and surprisingly Chrysonilia sitophila, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Mucor plumbeus, Penicillium janczewskii and P. glandicola were able to directly metabolise PCP, leading to its complete depletion from media. PCP degradation intermediates are preliminarily discussed. Data emphasise the significance of these fungi to have an interesting potential to be used in PCP bioremediation processes.

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Abbreviations

PCP:

Pentachlorophenol

HQ:

Hydroquinone

CHQ:

Chlorohydroquinone

TeCHQ:

Tetrachlorohydroquinone

DCBQ:

2,6-Dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone

TeCBQ:

Tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone

PCA:

Pentachloroanisole

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Acknowledgments

MBC is grateful to FC&T for the fellowship SFRH/BD/18205/2004. The work was partially supported by FC&T (POCTI/AMB/57374/2004 and POCTI/QUI/56229/2004) and by NATO (ESP.MD.SFPP 981674). The authors wish to acknowledge M. Carmo Basílio and Dr. M. Vitória San Romão for providing the fungal strains used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Apartado 127, 2781-901, Oeiras, Portugal

    Mariana B. Carvalho, Isabel Martins, Maria C. Leitão, Helga Garcia, Cátia Rodrigues, Vitória San Romão & Cristina Silva Pereira

  2. IBET, Apartado 12, 2781-901, Oeiras, Portugal

    Vitória San Romão & Cristina Silva Pereira

  3. EVN, Estação Vitivinícola Nacional, Dois Portos, Portugal

    Vitória San Romão

  4. School of Engineering and Science, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus, PA1 2BE, Paisley, UK

    Iain McLellan & Andrew Hursthouse

Authors
  1. Mariana B. Carvalho
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  2. Isabel Martins
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  3. Maria C. Leitão
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  4. Helga Garcia
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  5. Cátia Rodrigues
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  6. Vitória San Romão
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  7. Iain McLellan
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  8. Andrew Hursthouse
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  9. Cristina Silva Pereira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristina Silva Pereira.

Additional information

M. B. Carvalho and I. Martins have contributed equally to this work.

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Carvalho, M.B., Martins, I., Leitão, M.C. et al. Screening pentachlorophenol degradation ability by environmental fungal strains belonging to the phyla Ascomycota and Zygomycota. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 36, 1249–1256 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-009-0603-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-009-0603-2

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