Phytoremediation of Ionic and Methyl Mercury Pollution
Abstract
Phytoremediation is defined as the use of plants to extract, resist, detoxify, and/or sequester toxic environmental pollutants. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop and test highly productive, field-adapted plant species that have been engineered for the phytoremediation of mercury. A variety of different genes, which should enable plants to clean mercury polluted sites are being tested as tools for mercury phytoremediation, first in model laboratory plants and then in potential field species. Several of these genes have already been shown to enhance mercury phytoremediation. Mercury pollution is a serious, world-wide problem affecting the health of human and wildlife populations. Environmentally, the most serious mercury threat is the production of methylmercury (CH3Hg+) by native bacteria at mercury contaminated wetland sites. Methylmercury is inherently more toxic than metallic (Hg(0)) or ionic (Hg(II)) mercury, and because methylmercury is prolifically biomagnified up the food chain, it poses the most immediate danger to animal populations. We have successfully engineered two model plants, Arabidopsis and tobacco, to use the bacterial merB gene to convert methylmercury to less toxic ionic mercury and to use the bacterial merA gene to further detoxify ionic mercury to the least toxic form of mercury, metallic mercury. Plantsmore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 885349
- Report Number(s):
- EMSP-86608-2004
R&D Project: EMSP 86608; TRN: US200616%%540
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-02ER63493
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; ANIMALS; ARABIDOPSIS; BACTERIA; FOOD CHAINS; GENES; MERCURY; METHYLMERCURY; POLLUTANTS; POLLUTION; PRODUCTION; PROTEINS; SEEDS; TOBACCO; WETLANDS
Citation Formats
Meagher, Richard B. Phytoremediation of Ionic and Methyl Mercury Pollution. United States: N. p., 2004.
Web. doi:10.2172/885349.
Meagher, Richard B. Phytoremediation of Ionic and Methyl Mercury Pollution. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/885349
Meagher, Richard B. 2004.
"Phytoremediation of Ionic and Methyl Mercury Pollution". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/885349. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/885349.
@article{osti_885349,
title = {Phytoremediation of Ionic and Methyl Mercury Pollution},
author = {Meagher, Richard B},
abstractNote = {Phytoremediation is defined as the use of plants to extract, resist, detoxify, and/or sequester toxic environmental pollutants. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop and test highly productive, field-adapted plant species that have been engineered for the phytoremediation of mercury. A variety of different genes, which should enable plants to clean mercury polluted sites are being tested as tools for mercury phytoremediation, first in model laboratory plants and then in potential field species. Several of these genes have already been shown to enhance mercury phytoremediation. Mercury pollution is a serious, world-wide problem affecting the health of human and wildlife populations. Environmentally, the most serious mercury threat is the production of methylmercury (CH3Hg+) by native bacteria at mercury contaminated wetland sites. Methylmercury is inherently more toxic than metallic (Hg(0)) or ionic (Hg(II)) mercury, and because methylmercury is prolifically biomagnified up the food chain, it poses the most immediate danger to animal populations. We have successfully engineered two model plants, Arabidopsis and tobacco, to use the bacterial merB gene to convert methylmercury to less toxic ionic mercury and to use the bacterial merA gene to further detoxify ionic mercury to the least toxic form of mercury, metallic mercury. Plants expressing both MerA and MerB proteins detoxify methylmercury in two steps to the metallic form. These plants germinate, grow, and set seed at normal growth rates on levels of methylmercury or ionic mercury that are lethal to normal plants. Our newest efforts involve engineering plants with several additional bacterial and plant genes that allow for higher levels of mercury resistance and mercury hyperaccumulation. The potential for these plants to hyperaccumulate mercury was further advanced by developing constitutive, aboveground, and root-specific gene expression systems.},
doi = {10.2172/885349},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/885349},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2004},
month = {Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2004}
}