Development of transgenic yellow poplar for mercury phytoremediation

被引:238
作者
Rugh, CL
Senecoff, JF
Meagher, RB
Merkle, SA [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Georgia, Daniel B Warnell Sch Forest Resources, Athens, GA 30602 USA
[2] Univ Georgia, Dept Genet, Athens, GA 30602 USA
关键词
mercuric reductase; mercury; Liriodendron tulipifera;
D O I
10.1038/nbt1098-925
中图分类号
Q81 [生物工程学(生物技术)]; Q93 [微生物学];
学科分类号
071005 ; 0836 ; 090102 ; 100705 ;
摘要
We examined the ability of yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) tissue cultures and plantlets to express modified mercuric reductase (merA) gene constructs. Mercury-resistant bacteria express merA to convert highly toxic, ionic mercury, Hg(II), to much less toxic, elemental mercury, Hg(0). Expression of merA in transgenic plants might provide an ecologically compatible approach for the remediation of mercury pollution. Because the alteration of the bacterial merA gene sequence is necessary for high-level expression in Arabidopsis thaliana, yellow poplar proembryogenic masses (PEMs) were transformed with three modified merA constructs via microprojectile bombardment. Each construct was synthesized to have altered flanking regions with increasing amounts of modified coding sequence. All merA constructs conferred resistance to toxic, ionic mercury in independently transformed PEM colonies. Stability of merA transgene expression increased in parallel with the extent of gene coding sequence modification. Regenerated plantlets containing the most modified merA gene (merA18) germinated and grew vigorously in media containing normally toxic levels of ionic mercury. The merA18 plantlets released elemental mercury at approximately 10 times the rate of untransformed plantlets. These results indicate that plants expressing modified merA constructs may provide a means for the phytoremediation of mercury pollution.
引用
收藏
页码:925 / 928
页数:4
相关论文
共 35 条
  • [1] ABIOTIC REDUCTION OF MERCURY BY HUMIC SUBSTANCES IN AQUATIC SYSTEM - AN IMPORTANT PROCESS FOR THE MERCURY CYCLE
    ALLARD, B
    ARSENIE, I
    [J]. WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, 1991, 56 : 457 - 464
  • [2] BAKER A J M, 1989, Biorecovery, V1, P81
  • [3] THE POSSIBILITY OF IN-SITU HEAVY-METAL DECONTAMINATION OF POLLUTED SOILS USING CROPS OF METAL-ACCUMULATING PLANTS
    BAKER, AJM
    MCGRATH, SP
    SIDOLI, CMD
    REEVES, RD
    [J]. RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING, 1994, 11 (1-4) : 41 - 49
  • [4] BARRINEAU P, 1984, Journal of Molecular and Applied Genetics, V2, P601
  • [5] A quantitative study of the roots and root hairs of a winter rye plant (Secale cereals)
    Dittmer, HJ
    [J]. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY, 1937, 24 (07) : 417 - 420
  • [6] CATALASE ACTIVITY OF C-3 AND C-4 SPECIES AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO MERCURY-VAPOR UPTAKE
    DU, SH
    FANG, SC
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 1983, 23 (04) : 347 - 353
  • [7] FOX B, 1982, J BIOL CHEM, V257, P2498
  • [8] Gray D.H., 1996, Biotechnical and Soil Bioengineering Slope Stabilization: A Practical Guide for Erosion Control
  • [9] BACTERIAL REMOVAL OF MERCURY FROM SEWAGE
    HANSEN, CL
    ZWOLINSKI, G
    MARTIN, D
    WILLIAMS, JW
    [J]. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING, 1984, 26 (11) : 1330 - 1333
  • [10] FOLIAR EXCHANGE OF MERCURY-VAPOR - EVIDENCE FOR A COMPENSATION POINT
    HANSON, PJ
    LINDBERG, SE
    TABBERER, TA
    OWENS, JG
    KIM, KH
    [J]. WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, 1995, 80 (1-4) : 373 - 382