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In the present study, we compared the two-dimensional polypeptide maps of proteins extracts from Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum, two telluric fungi previously isolated from contaminated soil and shown to have good and poor benzo [ a ] pyrene degrading abilities, respectively. Their protein compositions were analyzed when grown in the presence and absence of benzo [ a ] pyrene. We provide evidence that benzo [ a ] pyrene induced specific protein synthesis in F. solani. The induced polypeptides were mainly observed in the acidic part of gels at 50 , 45 and 30 kDa. In contrast, no additional polypeptides were detected in F. oxysporum when grown in the presence of benzo [ a ] pyrene. The polypeptides sequence of 45 and 30 kDa polypeptides have high similarity (44% and 67%, respectively) with a porphobilinogen deaminase (EC 2.5.1.61), a key enzyme in the heme and cytochrome P450 biosynthesis pathway.

Titanocene dichloride, in conjunction with sodium borohydride and pyridine, was shown to dechlorinate Aroclor 1242 to give biphenyl. This was observed as a shift in the congener profile from more heavily chlorinated congeners to the lower chlorinated congeners over the time course of the reaction. The dechlorination process resulted in a transient increase in concentration of the monochlorinated biphenyls, particularly 3-chlorobiphenyl. Dechlorination in the presence of alternative amines or in PCB-contaminated soils proceeded at reduced rates and yielded mono- and dichlorobiphenyls in the final product. Since three hybrid bacteria had previously been produced for the mineralisation of biphenyl and lower chlorinated biphenyls, chemical dechlorination of the PCB mixture (Aroclor 1242) or of contaminated soils produces a potential feed for an aerobic microbial process for complete chlorobiphenyl mineralisation.