Identification of Bacteria producing enzymes with potential in the bioremediation of herbicides

• Grant number: 24/07013-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Biochemistry of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Eliana Gertrudes de Macedo Lemos
• Grantee: Evelyn Tavares Ruas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/20825-0 - Use of (meta) genomics and microbial consortia for the creation of enzymatic cocktail for the production of metabolites of industrial interest through the lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery, AP.TEM

Abstract

The use of agricultural pesticides is one of the main ways to maintain crop health. However, due to various factors such as dosage errors in application, soil type, rainfall density, and the nature of some molecules, these compounds can become persistent in the environment, harming current and future uses of arable land. These compounds can be naturally degraded through physical, chemical, and biochemical processes. However, due to the stability and solubility of some pesticides, they can remain in the environment for a long time. SEQUENCE©, composed of S-Metolachlor and Glyphosate, is a systemic herbicide for post-emergence application to control weeds. Bioremediation is an alternative for treating areas contaminated by these compounds, where microorganisms can play a key role in the process by metabolizing them through their enzymatic structure. There are several enzymatic groups mentioned in the literature that have bioremediation action, such as laccases, peroxidases like lignin peroxidases, and versatile peroxidases. This project aims to find bacterial strains in our microorganism bank that produce laccases and lignin peroxidases, which could potentially be used as bioremediation agents for SEQUENCE© in the future.