Biology
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Fungal lignocellulolytic enzymes are promising agents for oxidizing pollutants. This study investigated degradation of Number 6 "Bunker C" fuel oil compounds by the white-rot fungi Irpex lacteus, Trichaptum biforme, Phlebia radiata, Trametes versicolor, and Pleurotus ostreatus (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes). Averaging across all studied species, 98.1%, 48.6%, and 76.4% of the initial Bunker C C10 alkane, C14 alkane, and phenanthrene, respectively were degraded after 180 days of fungal growth on pine media. This study also investigated whether Bunker C oil induces changes in gene expression in the white-rot fungus Punctularia strigosozonata, for which a complete reference genome is available. After 20 days of growth, a monokaryon P. strigosozonata strain degraded 99% of the initial C10 alkane in both pine and aspen media but did not affect the amounts of the C14 alkane or phenanthrene. Differential gene expression analysis identified 119 genes with ≥ log2(2-fold) greater expression in one or more treatment comparisons. Six genes were significantly upregulated in media containing oil; these genes included three enzymes with potential roles in xenobiotic biotransformation. Carbohydrate metabolism genes showing differential expression significantly accumulated transcripts on aspen vs. pine substrates, perhaps reflecting white-rot adaptations to growth on hardwood substrates. The mechanisms by which P. strigosozonata may degrade complex oil compounds remain obscure, but degradation results of the 180-day cultures suggest that diverse white-rot fungi have promise for bioremediation of petroleum fuels.
Publication Title
PLoS ONE
Publication Date
6-25-2015
Volume
10
Issue
6
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0130381
Keywords
fungi, phylogeny, gene expression
Repository Citation
Young, Darcy; Rice, James; Martin, Rachael; Lindquist, Erika; Lipzen, Anna; Grigoriev, Igor; and Hibbett, David, "Degradation of bunker C fuel oil by white-rot fungi in sawdust cultures suggests potential applications in bioremediation" (2015). Biology. 198.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_biology/198
Cross Post Location
Student Publications
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Copyright Conditions
Young, D., Rice, J., Martin, R., Lindquist, E., Lipzen, A., Grigoriev, I., & Hibbett, D. (2015). Degradation of bunker C fuel oil by white-rot fungi in sawdust cultures suggests potential applications in bioremediation. PloS one, 10(6), e0130381.
