Mercury(II) reductase

About: Mercury(II) reductase is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 49 publications have been published within this topic receiving 3969 citations. The topic is also known as: mercury reductase & mercurate(II) reductase.

Microbial transformations of metals.

Abstract: BIOTRANSFORMA nONS OF TOXIC MET AL CAnONS . Mercury . The mercury cycle in the biosphere .. Biological methylation of mercury . Microbial resistance to mercury and organomercurials .

Development of transgenic yellow poplar for mercury phytoremediation.

Abstract: 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(ll), to much less toxic, elemental mercury, Hg(O). 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.

Phytodetoxification of hazardous organomercurials by genetically engineered plants.

Abstract: Methylmercury is a highly toxic, organic derivative found in mercury-polluted wetlands and coastal sediments worldwide. Though commonly present at low concentrations in the substrate, methylmercury can biomagnify to concentrations that poison predatory animals and humans. In the interest of developing an in situ detoxification strategy, a model plant system was transformed with bacterial genes (merA for mercuric reductase and merB for organomercurial lyase) for an organic mercury detoxification pathway. Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing both genes grow on 50-fold higher methylmercury concentrations than wild-type plants and up to 10-fold higher concentrations than plants that express merB alone. An in vivo assay demonstrated that both transgenes are required for plants to detoxify organic mercury by converting it to volatile and much less toxic elemental mercury.

Mechanisms of microbial resistance and detoxification of mercury and organomercury compounds: physiological, biochemical, and genetic analyses.

Abstract: METHYLATION OF MERCURY BY MICROORGANISMS ..................................... 96 Mechanism of Methylation of Mercury....................................................... 96 Methylmercury Formation Under Anaerobic Conditions ........................................ 97 Methylmercury Formation Under Aerobic Conditions .......................................... 97 Effects of HgS on Methylation of Mercury .......... .......................................... 98