Bio-affecting mercury detection using mercury resistance gene module fused with bioluminescence reporter genes

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 253-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Yamagata ◽  
M. Ishii ◽  
M. Narita ◽  
G.-C. Huang ◽  
G. Endo
Keyword(s):  
Total Mercury ◽  
Vibrio Fischeri ◽  
Dna Recombination ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Mercury Resistance ◽  
Mercury Chloride ◽  
Sensor Systems ◽  
Bacterial Bioluminescence ◽  
Escherichia Coli Cells ◽  
Lux Operon

Bioluminescence sensor systems were developed for monitoring environmental mercury contamination. The biological mercury measurement sensor systems were constructed by DNA recombination technique. A bacterial mercury-resistant operon (mer operon) from Pseudomonas sp. K-6y4 and a bacterial bioluminescence operon (lux operon) from an ocean bacterium Vibrio fischeri were fused in a vector plasmid. The resulting recombinant plasmids were cloned in Escherichia coli cells. The bioluminescence sensor systems responded to mercury chloride of 0.1 nM to 100 nM. The mercury bioluminescence sensor developed in this study can be used for monitoring of the bio-affecting mercury instead of total mercury that is measured by conventional analytical equipment. The fundamental feature of the bioluminescence sensor system is attractive for use as a monitoring system for bio-affecting environmental mercury contamination.

Involvement of host factors in the regulation of the Vibrio fischeri lux operon in Escherichia coli cells

Microbiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. V. Manukhov ◽  
V. Yu. Kotova ◽  
G. B. Zavil’gel’sky
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Vibrio Fischeri ◽  
Host Factors ◽  
Escherichia Coli Cells ◽  
Lux Operon

Assessment of caudal fin clip as a non-lethal technique for predicting muscle tissue mercury concentrations in largemouth bass

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Ryba ◽  
J. L. Lake ◽  
J. R. Serbst ◽  
A. D. Libby ◽  
S. Ayvazian
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Caudal Fin ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Fish Consumption Advisories ◽  
Relationship Of

Environmental context. In the development of fish consumption advisories, fisheries biologists routinely sacrifice fish and analyse muscle fillets in order to determine the extent of mercury contamination. Such lethal techniques may not be suitable for endangered species or limited fish populations from smaller-sized water bodies. We compared the measured total mercury concentrations in tail fin clips to that of muscle fillets and illustrated that tail fin clips may be used as an accurate tool for predicting mercury in muscle tissue. This is the first study on the use of tail fin clips to predict mercury levels in the muscle tissue of largemouth bass with minimal impact on the fish. Abstract. The statistical relationship between total mercury (Hg) concentration in clips from the caudal fin and muscle tissue of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 26 freshwater sites in Rhode Island, USA was developed and evaluated to determine the utility of fin clip analysis as a non-lethal and convenient method for predicting mercury concentrations in tissues. The relationship of total Hg concentrations in fin clips and muscle tissue showed an r2 of 0.85 and may be compared with an r2 of 0.89 for Hg concentrations between scales and muscle tissue that was determined in a previous study on largemouth bass. The Hg concentration in fin clip samples (mean = 0.261 μg g–1 (dry)) was more than a factor of twenty greater than in the scale samples (mean = 0.012 μg g–1 (dry)). Therefore, fin clips may be a more responsive non-lethal predictor of muscle-Hg concentrations than scale in fish species which may have reduced Hg concentrations.

scholarly journals Investigation of Methylmercury and Total Mercury Contamination in Mollusk Samples Collected from Coastal Sites along the Chinese Bohai Sea

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (25) ◽  
pp. 7373-7378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-na Liang ◽  
Jian-bo Shi ◽  
Bin He ◽  
Gui-bin Jiang ◽  
Chun-gang Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Total Mercury ◽  
Bohai Sea ◽  
Mercury Contamination

A Comparison of Mercury Contamination in Mussel and Ammocoete Filter Feeders

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie B. Bettaso ◽  
Damon H. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Teleost Fishes ◽  
Trinity River ◽  
Longitudinal Gradients ◽  
History Of ◽  
Filter Feeders ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
Mercury Mining

Abstract The Trinity River, California, has an extensive history of gold and mercury mining, and recent studies demonstrated uptake of legacy mercury contamination by teleost fishes. We investigated mercury concentrations of larval lampreys (ammocoetes; Entosphenus spp.) and western pearlshell mussels (Margaritifera falcata) in the Trinity River to determine whether these two long-lived and sedentary filter feeders show site-specific differences in uptake of this contaminant. We analyzed ammocoetes from four sites in the Trinity River and one reference site in the Mad River for total mercury and mussels from three of the Trinity River sites for total and methyl mercury. We identified longitudinal gradients in ammocoete total mercury levels and methyl mercury in mussels. We found a 70% increase in total mercury in ammocoetes between two of the sample sites, suggesting a potential point source of contamination. Ammocoetes contained levels of mercury 12 to 25 times those of mussels from the same site. Our data indicate that ammocoetes may be a preferred organism to sample for mercury contamination and ecological effects compared with mussels in the Trinity River.

scholarly journals Diversity and evolution of bacterial bioluminescence genes in the global ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Vannier ◽  
Pascal Hingamp ◽  
Floriane Turrel ◽  
Lisa Tanet ◽  
Magali Lescot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Emission ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Bacterial Bioluminescence ◽  
Lux Operon ◽  
History Of ◽  
Operon Evolution ◽  
Operon Organization ◽  
Bacterial Genes

Abstract Although bioluminescent bacteria are the most abundant and widely distributed of all light-emitting organisms, the biological role and evolutionary history of bacterial luminescence are still shrouded in mystery. Bioluminescence has so far been observed in the genomes of three families of Gammaproteobacteria in the form of canonical lux operons that adopt the CDAB(F)E(G) gene order. LuxA and luxB encode the two subunits of bacterial luciferase responsible for light-emission. Our deep exploration of public marine environmental databases considerably expands this view by providing a catalog of new lux homolog sequences, including 401 previously unknown luciferase-related genes. It also reveals a broader diversity of the lux operon organization, which we observed in previously undescribed configurations such as CEDA, CAED and AxxCE. This expanded operon diversity provides clues for deciphering lux operon evolution and propagation within the bacterial domain. Leveraging quantitative tracking of marine bacterial genes afforded by planetary scale metagenomic sampling, our study also reveals that the novel lux genes and operons described herein are more abundant in the global ocean than the canonical CDAB(F)E(G) operon.

scholarly journals Leachate seepage from landfill: a source of groundwater mercury contamination in South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Nevondo ◽  
T Malehase ◽  
AP Daso ◽  
OJ Okonkwo
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Dental Amalgam ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Fluorescent Light ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Landfill Sites

Mercury has been used for many centuries in the production of consumer products such as thermometers, electrical switches, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, biocides and pesticides, cosmetics and dental amalgam filling, among others. After use, these mercury-containing consumer products form part of the municipal solid waste (MSW). As a result of an unseparated solid waste collection system, mercury-containing wastes tend to end up in landfills where mercury and other pollutants can leach out of products into landfill leachates. The present study, therefore, was conducted with the aim of determining the total mercury (THg) concentrations in leachate and sediment samples collected from 4 selected landfill sites (3 sites in Gauteng Province – Soshanguve, Hatherly, Onderstepoort and 1 site in Limpopo Province – Thohoyandou). Groundwater samples were collected from the monitoring boreholes at the four selected landfill sites in the summer and winter periods. An acid digestion method was employed for sample preparation and this was followed by analysis using cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CVAAS). The concentration range of total mercury in the Thohoyandou leachate, sediment and groundwater samples was 0.12–2.07 μg/L, 0.03–0.48 μg/g and 0.09–2.12 μg/L, respectively. In Soshanguve, the concentration range of total mercury in leachate, sediment and groundwater samples was 0.10–1.20 μg/L, 0.04–0.62 μg/g and nd –1.66 μg/L respectively, Hatherly concentration range was 0.42–1.31 μg/L and 0.06–0.78 μg/g in leachate and sediment, respectively and in Onderstepoort the concentration range was 0.12–2.41 μg/L, 0.03–0.50 μg/g and 0.05–2.44 μg/L, in leachate, sediment and groundwater, respectively. The findings from this study suggest that there is a likelihood of groundwater pollution by mercury from landfill leachate seepage, particularly for landfills that are not lined with a geomembrane. 

scholarly journals Ocena zawartości rtęci w poziomach powierzchniowych i podpowierzchniowych intensywnie użytkowanych rolniczo gleb aluwialnych / Assessment of total mercury content in the surface and subsurface horizons in intensively used agricultural alluvial soils

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-53
Author(s):  
Agata Bartkowiak ◽  
Hanna Jaworska ◽  
Szymon Różański
Keyword(s):  
Total Mercury ◽  
Clay Fraction ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Mercury Content ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Alluvial Soils ◽  
Geochemical Background ◽  
Dominant Component ◽  
Soil Components ◽  
Major Factors

Abstract One of the major factors determining hazard for humans, animals and plants is the increased content of trace elements in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of mercury in surface and subsurface horizons of alluvial soils intensively used for agriculture in aspect of relationship between soil components and Hg amount bound by the soil. The results showed that there was no mercury contamination and dominant component binding this element in analyzed soils was clay fraction. The determined concentrations of mercury were close to the geochemical background level.

scholarly journals Colonization of Host Plants by the Fire Blight Pathogen Erwinia amylovora Marked with Genes for Bioluminescence and Fluorescence

1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 416-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Bogs ◽  
Iris Bruchmüller ◽  
Claudia Erbar ◽  
Klaus Geider
Keyword(s):  
Host Plants ◽  
Fire Blight ◽  
Erwinia Amylovora ◽  
Vibrio Fischeri ◽  
Bacterial Invasion ◽  
Leaf Hairs ◽  
Lux Operon ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Lac Promoter

To follow the movement of Erwinia amylovora in plant tissue without dissection, this bacterium was marked with either the lux operon from Vibrio fischeri or the gfp gene from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, both carried on multicopy plasmids and expressed under the control of the lac promoter from Escherichia coli. Movement of the pathogen was visualized in leaves, stems, and roots of apple seedlings, and migration of E. amylovora was traced from inoculation sites in the stem to as far as the roots. Green fluorescent E. amylovora cells were observed in the xylem and later appeared to break out of the vessels into the intercellular spaces of the adjacent parenchyma. Inoculation in the intercostal region of leaves caused a zone of slow necrosis that finally resulted in bacterial invasion of the xylem vessels. Labeled bacteria could also be seen in association with the anchor sites of leaf hairs. Distortion of the epidermis adjacent to leaf hairs created openings that were observed by scanning electron microscopy. As the intercostal region, the bases of leaf hairs provided E. amylovora access to intact xylem vessels, which allowed further distribution of the pathogen in the host plant.

scholarly journals Assessment of mercury contamination of the Svitava and Svratka rivers and muscle of chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) in the urban agglomeration of Brno in the Czech Republic

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamila Kružíková ◽  
Renáta Kenšová ◽  
Jana Blahová ◽  
Zdeňka Svobodová
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Hazard Index ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Acid Digestion ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Leuciscus Cephalus

This study focused on the total mercury and methylmercury content in the muscle of chub (Leuciscus cephalusL.), the total mercury in the river sediments and the evaluation of health risks associated with fish contamination. Chub were caught at seven localities on the Svratka and Svitava rivers in the agglomeration of Brno in 2008. The results were compared to those obtained from the same sites in 2007. Total mercury was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using an AMA 245 analyzer, and methylmercury was determined by gas chromatography (using an electron-capture detector) after acid digestion and toluene extraction in chub muscle. The highest concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury (0.12 ± 0.14 and 0.07 ± 0.02 mg·kg-1fresh weight, respectively) were found in Svratka before junction (south of Brno), whereas the lowest concentration of mercury and methylmercury in chub (0.06 ± 0.01 and 0.04 ± 0.01 mg·kg-1) was detected in Svitava before junction with the Svratka River. Total mercury in sediments ranged from 0.01 to 1.05 mg·kg-1dry weight, the highest value was detected in the sediment from Rajhradice. The lowest content (0.01 mg·kg-1) was at Kníničky. Hazard indices calculated for the selected localities showed no health risk for either a standard consumer or a fishing family. Fish from the Svitava and Svratka rivers show very low mercury concentration and hazard index and their consumption poses no health risk from total mercury and methylmercury contamination.

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