Determination of laccase gene expression during degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and its catabolic intermediates in Trametes versicolor.

We have cloned a laccase gene fragment isolated from a Trametes versicolor strain in Korea. It showed high similarity in nucleotide sequences when compared with other fungal laccases. TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), a widely used explosive, was transformed rapidly by T. versicolor. When TNT and its catabolic intermediates were added to the fungal culture, they were transformed during the first few hours and the expression level of the laccase gene was increased during the early stage of cultivation.