Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Stereospecific Lactic Acid Exclusion Biosensor for Grass Silage Fed Green Biorefinery.

Microbial biotechnology·2026
Same author

A hydrolase from Serratia liquefaciens IMD717 with esterase, dehalogenase and N-deformylase activities.

Applied microbiology and biotechnology·2026
Same author

Synthesis of Trifluoromethylated Analogues of the Cyclic Lipopeptide Iturin A and Evaluation of their Antifungal Activity.

ChemPlusChem·2025
Same author

Aryl (β,β',β″-Trifluoro)-<i>tert</i>-butyl: A Candidate Motif for the Discovery of Bioactives.

Organic letters·2023
Same author

Recent advances in fungal xenobiotic metabolism: enzymes and applications.

World journal of microbiology & biotechnology·2023
Same author

Enhanced removal of perfluorooctanoic acid with sequential photocatalysis and fungal treatment.

Environmental science and pollution research international·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Direct and Indirect Culture Methods for Studying Biodegradable Implant Materials In Vitro
14:49

Direct and Indirect Culture Methods for Studying Biodegradable Implant Materials In Vitro

Published on: April 15, 2022

5.7K

Cyhalothrin biodegradation in Cunninghamella elegans.

William Palmer-Brown1, Paula Letícia de Melo Souza1, Cormac D Murphy2

  • 1UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
|November 15, 2018
PubMed
Summary

The fungus Cunninghamella elegans biosorbed and slowly degraded the insecticide λ-cyhalothrin. Biodegradation was faster in planktonic cells than biofilms, involving cytochromes P450.

Keywords:
Cytochrome P450FluorineMicrobial modelPesticide

More Related Videos

Programming Stem Cells for Therapeutic Angiogenesis Using Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles
09:01

Programming Stem Cells for Therapeutic Angiogenesis Using Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles

Published on: September 27, 2013

11.6K
Basic Caenorhabditis elegans Methods: Synchronization and Observation
11:34

Basic Caenorhabditis elegans Methods: Synchronization and Observation

Published on: June 10, 2012

49.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Direct and Indirect Culture Methods for Studying Biodegradable Implant Materials In Vitro
14:49

Direct and Indirect Culture Methods for Studying Biodegradable Implant Materials In Vitro

Published on: April 15, 2022

5.7K
Programming Stem Cells for Therapeutic Angiogenesis Using Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles
09:01

Programming Stem Cells for Therapeutic Angiogenesis Using Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles

Published on: September 27, 2013

11.6K
Basic Caenorhabditis elegans Methods: Synchronization and Observation
11:34

Basic Caenorhabditis elegans Methods: Synchronization and Observation

Published on: June 10, 2012

49.4K

Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Bioremediation
  • Fungal metabolism

Background:

  • Pesticide contamination poses environmental risks.
  • Fungi are increasingly recognized for their bioremediation potential.
  • Understanding fungal metabolism of pesticides is crucial for developing effective degradation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the biodegradation of the insecticide λ-cyhalothrin by Cunninghamella elegans.
  • To elucidate the metabolic pathways and identify key enzymes involved in λ-cyhalothrin degradation.
  • To compare the degradation efficiency between planktonic and biofilm fungal cultures.

Main Methods:

  • Incubation of λ-cyhalothrin with planktonic and biofilm cultures of Cunninghamella elegans.
  • 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for compound tracking and metabolite identification.
  • Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for identifying non-fluorinated metabolites.
  • Use of cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitors to assess enzyme involvement.

Main Results:

  • λ-cyhalothrin was initially biosorbed to fungal biomass and subsequently degraded.
  • Trifluoromethyl-containing and non-fluorinated metabolites were identified, suggesting a catabolic pathway.
  • Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) were implicated in the hydroxylation of metabolites, as CYP inhibitors blocked biodegradation.
  • Planktonic cultures exhibited significantly faster λ-cyhalothrin degradation compared to biofilm cultures.

Conclusions:

  • Cunninghamella elegans can biodegrade the insecticide λ-cyhalothrin through a pathway likely involving CYPs.
  • Fungal cell morphology (planktonic vs. biofilm) influences pesticide degradation rates.
  • This study highlights the potential of Cunninghamella elegans in pesticide bioremediation, with implications for environmental management.