Environmental Decontamination

Decontamination is the process of cleansing an object or substance to remove contaminants such as micro-organisms or hazardous materials, including chemicals, radioactive substances, and infectious diseases. We have attempted to enhance the environmental decontamination functions of plants by introducing appropriate enzymatic activities from microorganisms. Lignin peroxidase is a well-known enzyme used for the degradation of some environmental pollutants. In the present study, we introduced an extracellular fungal enzyme, the lignin peroxidase of Trametes versicolor, into tobacco plants. Six transgenic plant, designated FLP-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8, produced lignin peroxidase in a crude extract of the root. The FLP-1, FLP-2 and FLP-8 were able to remove 10 µmol of bisphenol A g-1 dry weight from hydroponic culture. The efficiency of this removal was approximately 4-fold greater than that of control lines. Our results should stimulate efforts to develop plant-based technologies for the removal of environmental pollutants from contaminated environments. There have been several reports that fungal lignin-degrading enzymes such as manganese peroxidase, laccase and lignin peroxidase (LiP) can degrade or polymerize toxic organic chemicals such as polychlorophenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated aromatic compounds. In recent years, phytoremediation technology has gained attention as an ecological remediation tool for contaminated soil and water. Plants can be grown autotrophically, so that making the phytoremediation technology is a suitable strategy for the continuous remediation and maintenance of widely contaminated areas.

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Last date updated on April, 2024