Tolerance and metabolism of phenol and chloroderivatives by hairy root cultures of Daucus carota L.
Hairy root cultures are shown to be suitable experimental systems to screen higher plants for tolerance to various inorganic and organic pollutants, and for determining the role of the root matrix in the uptake and further metabolism of contaminants. A number of clones were obtained by infection of carrot tissues with Agrobacterium rhizogenes and two (the fastest and the slowest growing root clones) were chosen for further experimentation. Both clones showed a similar degree of tolerance towards phenol and its chlorinated derivatives, i.e. the growth of root biomass was maintained in concentrations of phenol equivalent to 1000 micromol/l, whilst the chlorophenols were tolerated only at concentrations 20 times lower (50 micromol/l). Transformed carrot roots were able to remove more than 90% of the exogenous phenolic compounds from the culture medium within 120 h after treatment. Metabolism of these compounds occurred in the root tissue and was accompanied by an increase in peroxidase activity.
Araujo
Brancilene  Santos de
B
Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, AL, Brazil.
Charlwood
Barry Victor
BV
Pletsch
Marcia
M
D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D018533:Biomass; D017606:Chlorine Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D046508:Culture Techniques; D018552:Daucus carota / Q000502:physiology*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019800:Phenol / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D012231:Rhizobium
D017606:Chlorine Compounds; D004202:Disinfectants; D019800:Phenol