IMPACT OF NONYLPHENOL ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF FUNGI FROM THE COASTAL AREA OF THE GULF OF FINLAND
Nonylphenol (NP) is the most abundant environmental estrogen listed as one of the priority hazardous substances in the Water Framework Directive (EC 2000) and the priority pollutant of Baltic Sea (HELCOM 2010). The present study aims to compare the effects of technical nonylphenol (tNP) on the cellulase, amylase and protease activity of the terrestrial fungal strains played a significant role in aquatic ecosystems due to their high adaptive capacity and a large range of functional activity. The study also attempts to understand the mechanisms behind the varying sensitivity of the terrestrial fungi to tNP. The fungal strains were isolated from the bottom sediments of the coastal area of the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The terrestrial fungi were identified based on their morphological characteristics and nucleotide sequence analysis of internal transcribed space region. One reason for significant differences in sensitivity to the toxicant studied among the fungi is the change in the fungal cell permeability, in particular in cell membrane permeability, induced by NP. Environmentally relevant concentrations of tNP cause significant changes in activity of hydrolytic enzymes in the terrestrial fungi Aspergillus tubingensis, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium glabrum, and Cadophora fastigiata involved in organic matter degradation in bottom sediments. There can be increasing or decreasing trend, depending on both the type of enzyme and the tNP concentration. The revealed changes may disrupt the destructive processes in bottom sediments, as well as succession and stability of microbial communities functioning in the aquatic environment. It was found that tNP contributes to the activation of proteolytic enzymes, considered as potential fungal virulence factors. This may lead to emergence fungal strains with enhanced virulence in aquatic microbiocenoses. The investigations of the physiological responses of terrestrial fungi under nonylphenol will be important for biochemical processes dynamics and their environmental consequences evaluation.