Ricerc@Sapienza

Fungi can tolerate and transform anthropogenic contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), thanks to their metabolic and enzymatic versatility (1, 2, 3). Indeed, fungal biodegradation of POPs, e.g. DDT, has been recognized as an environmentally-friendly, feasible, integrated, cost-effective remediation biotechnology (1, 2, 3).

Several Trichoderma species can synthesize molecules of high biotechnological value, including antifungal compounds and cell-wall degrading enzymes and provide applications in mycoremediation. The saprotrophic fungal strain FBL 587, deposited in the culture collection of the Fungal Biodiversity Laboratory, Sapienza University of Rome, was isolated from Polish DDT-contaminated soils. Tolerance indices (Rt:Rc (%); T.I. (%)) were used to assess fungal tolerance to 1 mg/L DDT.