Pestalotiopsis palmarum. conidiospores (1000x)
Pestalotiopsis microspora: a New Agent in Bioremediation
BOT 306 Biology of the Fungi 2012
University of Alberta
Kelsey Pientsch
https://hocking.biology.ualberta.ca/courses/bot306/uploads/winter12/lectures/BOT%20306%202012%20SEMINAR%20KELSEY.pdf
Pestalotiopsis microspora is a fungus found in the South American rainforest.
It is an endophyte which means it lives in the inner tissues of its plant host without causing overt disease symptoms.
P. microspora is not host specific and causes rot in a variety of plant species.
The genus Pestalotiopsis is very diverse and many of the species produce compounds that have beneficial use for humans.
More than 130 different compounds have been isolated from species of Pestalotiopsis including those with cytotoxic, antimicrobial and anti‐HIV effects.
Pestalotiopsis microspora produces an enzyme that has been found to efficiently degrade polyester polyurethane (PUR).
There are two distinct isolates of P. Microspora that produce this enzyme, strain E2712A and E3317B.
Many other strains can degrade PUR but not as efficiently and not in anaerobic conditions. These two strains can completely degrade PUR in a half time of 5 days.
In comparison Aspergillus niger, which was the most efficient PUR degradation agent before Pestalotiopsis microspora was discovered, has a half time of 15 days. The rate of PUR degradation for the two strains is equivalent in anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The strains can also use PUR as their sole carbon source. The degradation of PUR does not occur within the mycelium, the fungus produces an enzyme that is excreted from the fungal cells. This enzyme is diffusible and its production is induced by cellular exposure to polyurethane substrate. These two fungal strains and the enzyme they produce could play a large role in the future of bioremediation. The items our society now deems as waste may find a new purpose as carbon sources for Pestalotiopsis microspora.
original paper:
Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Endophytic Fungi
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. September 2011 vol. 77 (17): 6076-6084
Jonathan R. Russell
http://aem.asm.org/content/77/17/6076
related information:
Mycoremediation and Mycofiltration
https://hocking.biology.ualberta.ca/courses/bot306/uploads/winter12/lectures/BOT%20306%202012%20SEMINAR%20RYAN.pdf
franzcalvo 