Functions, Evolution, and Application of the Supramolecular Machines of Hg Detoxification
The bacterial mercury resistance (mer) operon functions in Hg biogeochemistry and bioremediation by converting reactive inorganic [Hg(II)] and organic [RHg(I)] mercurials to relatively inert monoatomic mercury vapor, Hg(0). Its genes regulate expression (MerR, MerD, MerOP), import Hg(II) (MerT, MerP, and MerC), and demethylate (MerB) and reduce (MerA) mercurials. We focus on how these components interact with each other and with the host cell to allow cells to survive and detoxify Hg compounds. Understanding how this ubiquitous detoxification system fits into the biology and ecology of its bacterial host is essential to guide interventions that support and enhance Hg remediation. At a more basic level, studies of interactions between the metal ion trafficking proteins in this pathway provide insights into general mechanisms used by proteins in pathways involved in trafficking of other metal ions in cells of all types of organisms, including pathways for essential metal ions such as Cu and Zn and other toxic metal ions such as Cd. In this project we focused on investigations of proteins from mer operons found in gamma-proteobacteria with specific objectives to use biophysical and biochemical approaches to detect and define (1) interactions between the structural components of the key detoxifying mer operon enzyme, mercuric ion reductase (MerA), (2) interactions between the components of MerA and the other mer operon enzyme, organomercurial lyase (MerB), and (3) to investigate the structure and interactions of integral membrane transport proteins, MerT and MerC, with MerA.
- Research Organization:
- University of California San Francisco
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-05ER64120
- OSTI ID:
- 968214
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/64120-Final; 0011806
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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