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Hui CY, Ma BC, Hu SY, Wu C. Tailored bacteria tackling with environmental mercury: Inspired by natural mercuric detoxification operons. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 341:123016. [PMID: 38008253 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) and its inorganic and organic compounds significantly threaten the ecosystem and human health. However, the natural and anthropogenic Hg environmental inputs exceed 5000 metric tons annually. Hg is usually discharged in elemental or ionic forms, accumulating in surface water and sediments where Hg-methylating microbes-mediated biotransformation occurs. Microbial genetic factors such as the mer operon play a significant role in the complex Hg biogeochemical cycle. Previous reviews summarize the fate of environmental Hg, its biogeochemistry, and the mechanism of bacterial Hg resistance. This review mainly focuses on the mer operon and its components in detecting, absorbing, bioaccumulating, and detoxifying environmental Hg. Four components of the mer operon, including the MerR regulator, divergent mer promoter, and detoxification factors MerA and MerB, are rare bio-parts for assembling synthetic bacteria, which tackle pollutant Hg. Bacteria are designed to integrate synthetic biology, protein engineering, and metabolic engineering. In summary, this review highlights that designed bacteria based on the mer operon can potentially sense and bioremediate pollutant Hg in a green and low-cost manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Ye Hui
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China.
| | - Bing-Chan Ma
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China; School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Shun-Yu Hu
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China; Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Can Wu
- Shenzhen Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases, 2019 Buxin Road, Shenzhen, 518020, China; Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
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Meyer L, Guyot S, Chalot M, Capelli N. The potential of microorganisms as biomonitoring and bioremediation tools for mercury-contaminated soils. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 262:115185. [PMID: 37385017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) pollution is a global issue due to the high toxicity and wide dispersion of Hg around the world. Whether due to anthropogenic activities or natural processes, Hg emissions are steadily increasing, with very high levels in some regions, directly threatening human and ecosystem health. However, bacteria and fungi have evolved and adapted in response to Hg-induced stress and have developed tolerance mechanisms, notably based on the mer operon system that is involved in Hg uptake and biovolatilization via Hg reduction reactions. Other processes, such as bioaccumulation or extracellular sequestration, are involved in Hg resistance, and the study of contaminated soils has allowed the isolation of a number of microorganisms capable of these mechanisms, with strong potential for the implementation of bioremediation approaches. In addition to playing an important role in determining the fate of Hg in the biogeochemical cycle, these microorganisms can indeed be applied to reduce Hg concentrations or at least stabilize Hg for the remediation of polluted soils. Moreover, thanks to the development of biotechnological tools, bioremediation based on Hg-tolerant microorganisms can be optimized. Finally, these microorganisms are relevant candidates for biomonitoring, for example, through the engineering of biosensors, because the detection of Hg is a major issue in preserving the health of living beings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorraine Meyer
- Chrono-environnement UMR 6249, Université de Franche-Comté CNRS, F-25000 Besançon, France
| | - Stéphane Guyot
- Université de Bourgogne, Institut Agro, PAM UMR A 02.102, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Michel Chalot
- Chrono-environnement UMR 6249, Université de Franche-Comté CNRS, F-25000 Besançon, France; Université de Lorraine, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Nicolas Capelli
- Chrono-environnement UMR 6249, Université de Franche-Comté CNRS, F-25000 Besançon, France.
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Chen Y, Guo Y, Liu Y, Xiang Y, Liu G, Zhang Q, Yin Y, Cai Y, Jiang G. Advances in bacterial whole-cell biosensors for the detection of bioavailable mercury: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 868:161709. [PMID: 36682565 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) and its organic compounds, especially monomethylmercury (MeHg), cause major damage to the ecosystem and human health. In surface water or sediments, microorganisms play a crucial role in the methylation and demethylation of Hg. Given that Hg transformation processes are intracellular reactions, accurate assessment of the bioavailability of Hg(II)/MeHg in the environment, particularly for microorganisms, is of major importance. Compared with traditional analytical methods, bacterial whole-cell biosensors (BWCBs) provide a more accurate, convenient, and cost-effective strategy to assess the environmental risks of Hg(II)/MeHg. This Review summarizes recent progress in the application of BWCBs in the detection of bioavailable Hg(II)/MeHg, providing insight on current challenges and strategies. The principle and components of BWCBs for Hg(II)/MeHg bioavailability analysis are introduced. Furthermore, the impact of water chemical factors on the bioavailability of Hg is discussed as are future perspectives of BWCBs in bioavailable Hg analysis and optimization of BWCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueqian Chen
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yingying Guo
- Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yanwei Liu
- Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yuping Xiang
- Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Guangliang Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, United States of America
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yongguang Yin
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China; Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Yong Cai
- Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, United States of America
| | - Guibin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Capo E, Bravo AG, Soerensen AL, Bertilsson S, Pinhassi J, Feng C, Andersson AF, Buck M, Björn E. Deltaproteobacteria and Spirochaetes-Like Bacteria Are Abundant Putative Mercury Methylators in Oxygen-Deficient Water and Marine Particles in the Baltic Sea. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:574080. [PMID: 33072037 PMCID: PMC7536318 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.574080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg), a neurotoxic compound biomagnifying in aquatic food webs, can be a threat to human health via fish consumption. However, the composition and distribution of the microbial communities mediating the methylation of mercury (Hg) to MeHg in marine systems remain largely unknown. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we used the Baltic Sea Reference Metagenome (BARM) dataset to study the abundance and distribution of the genes involved in Hg methylation (the hgcAB gene cluster). We determined the relative abundance of the hgcAB genes and their taxonomic identity in 81 brackish metagenomes that cover spatial, seasonal and redox variability in the Baltic Sea water column. The hgcAB genes were predominantly detected in anoxic water, but some hgcAB genes were also detected in hypoxic and normoxic waters. Phylogenetic analysis identified putative Hg methylators within Deltaproteobacteria, in oxygen-deficient water layers, but also Spirochaetes-like and Kiritimatiellaeota-like bacteria. Higher relative quantities of hgcAB genes were found in metagenomes from marine particles compared to free-living communities in anoxic water, suggesting that such particles are hotspot habitats for Hg methylators in oxygen-depleted seawater. Altogether, our work unveils the diversity of the microorganisms with the potential to mediate MeHg production in the Baltic Sea and pinpoint the important ecological niches for these microorganisms within the marine water column.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Capo
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Andrea G Bravo
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anne L Soerensen
- Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stefan Bertilsson
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jarone Pinhassi
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems - EEMiS, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Caiyan Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anders F Andersson
- Department of Gene Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Moritz Buck
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik Björn
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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Optimization of a Digestion Method to Determine Total Mercury in Fish Tissue by Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrophotometry. Methods Protoc 2020; 3:mps3020045. [PMID: 32585795 PMCID: PMC7359707 DOI: 10.3390/mps3020045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Several microwave-assisted digestion methods were tested at the Centro de Estudios Aplicados en Química laboratory in Quito, Ecuador, to determine the accuracy and performance efficiency of the mineralization process for the determination of total mercury in fish tissue by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry. The use of MARSEasyPrep high-pressure vessels, low amounts of reagents (1 cm3 HNO3, 1 cm3 H2O2, and 1 cm3 HClO4), an irradiation temperature of 210 °C, and 35 min of mineralization time resulted in accurate performance, with recoveries of certified reference material DORM-4 between 90.1% and 105.8%. This is better than the Association of Official Analytical Chemists 2015.01 method, which has a reported accuracy of 81%. The repeatability precision and intermediate precision were established at three concentration levels (0.167, 0.500, and 0.833 mg·kg−1) and expressed as the percentage of the relative standard deviation ranging from 1.5% to 3.0% and 1.7% to 4.2%, respectively. Further, the method was satisfactorily applied to analyze fortified samples of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), with recoveries ranging from 98.3% to 104.3%. The instrumental limits of detection and quantification were 0.118 µg·dm−3 and 0.394 µg·dm−3, respectively.
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Recent developments in environmental mercury bioremediation and its toxicity: A review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.enmm.2020.100283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Influence of Macrophyte and Gut Microbiota on Mercury Contamination in Fish: A Microcosms Study. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10041500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The freshwater lakes of southwestern France are subject to the development of invasive macrophytes which are associated with mercury (Hg) contamination of the food web. The aim of this study was to determine the bioavailability of methylmercury (MeHg) produced by plant roots in aquatic ecosystems. A microcosm experiment was performed using isotopically enriched inorganic Hg at environmental concentrations (1 µg 199IHg·L−1). For all conditions, total Hg in fish as well as Hg species associated with different compartments (water, sediments, plant roots, fish) were analyzed by gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (GC-ICP-MS). In addition, sediment, plants, and fish gut microbiota were studied by MiSEQ sequencing. Some strains were isolated and tested for their ability to methylate Hg. The results revealed 199MeHg production in plant roots and the presence of this form in fish (tissues and gut), highlighting a MeHg trophic transfer. Moreover, methylator bacteria were identified from the gut contents of the fish when they were in the presence of plants. Some of them were related to bacteria found in the plant roots. On the basis of these results, the transfer of MeHg and bacteria from plants to fish is highlighted; in addition, Hg methylation is strongly suspected in the fish gut, potentially increasing the Hg bioaccumulation.
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Ranchou-Peyruse M, Goñi-Urriza M, Guignard M, Goas M, Ranchou-Peyruse A, Guyoneaud R. Pseudodesulfovibrio hydrargyri sp. nov., a mercury-methylating bacterium isolated from a brackish sediment. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2018. [PMID: 29533171 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The strain BerOc1T was isolated from brackish sediments contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals. This strain has been used as a model strain of sulfate-reducer to study the biomethylation of mercury. The cells are vibrio-shaped, motile and not sporulated. Phylogeny and physiological traits placed this strain within the genus Pseudodesulfovibrio. Optimal growth was obtained at 30 °C, 1.5 % NaCl and pH 6.0-7.4. The estimated G+C content of the genomic DNA was 62.6 mol%. BerOc1T used lactate, pyruvate, fumarate, ethanol and hydrogen. Terminal electron acceptors used were sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate and DMSO. Only pyruvate could be used without a terminal electron acceptor. The major fatty acids were C18 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 and C18 : 1ω7. The name Pseudodesulfovibrio hydrargyri sp. nov. is proposed for the type strain BerOc1T (DSM 10384T=JCM 31820T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Ranchou-Peyruse
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR 5254, 64000, Pau, France
| | - Marisol Goñi-Urriza
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR 5254, 64000, Pau, France
| | - Marion Guignard
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR 5254, 64000, Pau, France
| | - Marjorie Goas
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR 5254, 64000, Pau, France
| | - Anthony Ranchou-Peyruse
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR 5254, 64000, Pau, France
| | - Rémy Guyoneaud
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR 5254, 64000, Pau, France
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