We have obtained hairy root cultures of Brassica napus with high biomass and genetic stability which produce peroxidases, enzymes involved in biodegradation processes. In this work, these hairy root cultures were used to study the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), a common contaminant in industrial effluents that is highly toxic for human and aquatic life. The optimum conditions to obtain high efficiency in the removal process were established. Roots were able to remove 2,4-DCP from aqueous solutions containing 100-1000 mg/l, in the presence of H(2)O(2) concentrations ranging from 5 to 10 mM. After a short period of incubation (15 min), high removal efficiencies were achieved (91-94%) and maximal removal, of approx. 97-98%, was obtained with 1 h of reaction. High removal efficiencies (93-95%) were observed in a broad pH range (pH 3-9), reaching 98-99% in the range pH 4-8. Moreover, roots could be re-used, almost for six consecutive cycles, to remove 2,4-DCP. The oxidation catalysed by peroxidases would be the main mechanism involved in this process. The results suggest that these cultures could be useful tools for phytoremediation.

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We have purified various peroxidase isoenzymes from roots and hairy-root cultures of turnip (Brassica napus) which could potentially be used for commercial applications such as an enzyme immunoassays, diagnostic test kits, wastewater treatment and soil remediation. One of them, a basic peroxidase called HR2, was secreted into the medium of turnip hairy-root cultures. HR2 had a pI of 9.6, a molecular mass of 39.3 kDa and showed great thermostability. The inactivation of HR2 by H2O2 in the absence of reductant substrates was studied. Under these conditions H2O2 acted as a suicide substrate. The kinetic constants calculated have been compared with those of a basic isoperoxidase from horseradish (Armoracia sp.) roots (HRP-C), which is commonly used in commercial kits. The results for HR2 indicated that it was more resistant to inactivation because it presented a lower inactivation efficiency and a higher value for the partition ratio (r=1250) than those described for HRP-C. These results make turnip peroxidase HR2 suitable for use in systems in which high H2O2 concentrations are found. Such an application is demonstrated, namely an enzymic diagnostic kit for determination of uric acid in which HR2 was found to be as efficient as the enzyme originally included in standard kits.

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