Long-Chain Alkylphenol Biodegradation Potential of Soil Ascomycota

Abstract

A total of 11 ascomycete strains destructing technical nonylphenol (NP) and 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) were isolated from NP-contaminated soddy-podzolic loamy soil (Leningrad Region, Russia). The isolates proved capable of degrading NP and 4-t-OP at a high load (300 mg/L). The most efficient Fusarium solani strain 8F degraded alkylphenols (APs) both in cometabolic conditions and in the absence of additional carbon and energy sources. A decrease in APs was due to biodegradation or biotransformation by the strain and, to a minor extent, absorption by fungal cells. NP and 4-t-OP half-lives were, respectively, 3.5 and 6.4 h in cometabolic conditions and 9 and 19.7 h in the absence of additional carbon and energy sources. Amounts of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) increased during NP and 4-t-OP biodegradation in cometabolic conditions by 1.7 and 2 times, respectively, as compared with a control. A high GSH level in F. solani 8F cells potentially implicated the metabolite in both AP biodegradation and strain resistance to oxidative stress. The study is the first to report on the NP and 4-t-OP degradation by the ascomycete F. solani in cometabolic conditions and in the absence of additional carbon and energy sources. The high AP degradation potential of soil ascomycetes was assumed to provide a basis for new environmentally safe bioremediation technologies for purification of soils and natural and waste waters contaminated with endocrine disruptors.

Diversity of Soil-Borne Fungi Isolated from Places Frequently Visited by People in the City of Wrocław (Poland)

“…Fungi, being cosmopolitan organisms, are common in many parts of the world and can thrive across a wide range of pH and temperatures [1,2]. Soil is one of the ecosystems that serves as their natural reservoir [3]. The diversity and activity of soil fungi are regulated by a variety of biotic (e.g., plant roots, soil fauna) and abiotic (e.g., moisture, temperature) factors [4,5].…”

“…Their ability to produce a wide range of extracellular enzymes allows them to decompose all types of organic matter, breaking down soil components, thereby regulating the carbon and nutrient balance in the soil [1]. As a result, fungi predominate in soils rich in organic matter, while their presence is reduced in soils subjected to intensive mineral exploitation [3]. Moreover, many species of fungi have the ability to biosorb toxic metals by accumulating them in fruiting bodies [7].…”