NATURAL ORGANOHALOGEN PRODUCTION BY BASIDIOMYCETES

Basidiomycetes are ecologically important higher fungi that synthesize three families of organohalogen metabolites: halomethanes, halogenate d aromatics and haloaliphatic compounds. To date, a total of 53 haloge nated metabolites have been identified in 34 genera of basidiomycetes. These organohalogen metabolites have demonstrable physiological roles as antibiotics, as methyl donors and as substrates for H2O2-generatin g oxidases. The concentrations of chlorinated aromatic metabolites enc ountered in natural environments associated with the widespread occurr ence of basidiomycetes have been shown to exceed the hazardous-waste n orms that are applied to analogous anthropogenic chlorophenols in soil .