Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mercury-tolerant Transgenic Poplars Expressing Two Bacterial Mercury-metabolizing Genes

  • Published:
Journal of Plant Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mercury is one of the most toxic metals to various organisms, including humans. Genes involved in mercury metabolism have been cloned fromStaphylococcus aureus, and were modified here to be expressed in plants. Transgenic poplars containing both chimeric genes (p35S-merA andp35S-merB) were developed via two rounds of transformation usingnos-nptll andnos-hpt genes as selectable markers. Although expression levels varied among transgenic lines, tolerance to either ionic mercury or organic mercury matched well with the degree of expression revealed by northern hybridization. In culture, these trees were tolerant to 50 μM HgCl2 and 2 μM CH3HgCI. Variations in mercury tolerance among the transgenic lines indicates that vigorous selection is required to select the best clones for use in phytoremediation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Becker D (1990) Binary vectors which allow the exchange of plant selectable marker and reporter genes. Nucl Acid Res18: 203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bizily S, Rugh CL, Summers AO, Meagher RB (1999) Phytoremediation of methyl mercury pollution:merB expression inArabidopsis thaliana confers resistance to organomercurials. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA96: 6808–6813

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaney RL, Brown SL, Li YM, Angle JS, Homer FA, Green CE (1995) Potential use of metal hyperaccumulators. Mining Environ Manage3: 9–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Che D, Meagher RB, Heaton AC, Lima A, Rugh CL, Merkle SA (2003) Expression of mercuric ion reductase in eastern cotton-wood (Populus deltoides) confers mercuric ion reduction and resistance. Plant Biotechnol J1: 311–319

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choi Yl, Noh EW, Lee HS, Han MS, Lee JS, Choi KS (2005) An efficient and novel plant selectable marker based on organomercurial resistance. J Plant Biol48: 351–355

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jefferson RA, Kavanagh TA, Bevan MW (1987) GUS fusions: â-glucuronidase as a sensitive and versatile gene fusion marker in higher plants. EMBOJ6: 3901–3907

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krämer U, Chardonnens AN (2001) The use of transgenic plants in the bioremediation of soils contaminated with trace elements. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol55: 661–672

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laddaga RA, Chu L, Misra TK, Silver S (1987) Nucleotide sequence and expression of the mercurial-resistance operon fromStaphylococcus aureus plasmid pJ258. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA84: 5106–5110

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd G, McCown BH (1981) Commercially feasible micropropagation of mountain laurel,Kalmia latifolia, by use of shoot tip culture. Proc Intl Plant Prop Soc30: 421–427

    Google Scholar 

  • Murashige T, Skoog F (1962) A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue culture. Physiol Plant15: 473–497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peters SE, Hobman JL, Strike P, Ritchie DA (1991) Novel mercury resistance determinants carried by Inc J plasmids pMerPH and R391. Mol Gen Genet228: 294–299

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raskin I, Smith RD, Salt DE (1997) Phytoremediation of metals: Using plants to remove pollutants from the environment. Curr Opin Biotechnol8: 221–226

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Revis NW, Osborne T (1989) Distribution of mercury species in soil from a mercury-contaminated site. Water Air Soil Pollut45: 105–113

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rugh CL, Senecoff JF, Meagher RB, Merkle SA (1998) Development of transgenic yellow poplar for mercury phytoremediation. Nat Biotechnol16: 925–928

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salt DE, Blaylock M, Kumar NP, Dushenkov V, Ensley BD, Chet I, Raskin I (1995) Phytoremediation: A novel strategy for the removal of toxic metals from the environment using plants. Nat Biotechnol13: 468–474

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Satu L, Meagher RB, Kim TR, Heaton A, Montello P, Balish RS, Merkle SA (2007) Coupling two mercury resistance genes in eastern cottonwood enhances the processing of organomercury. Plant Biotechnol J5: 254–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Southern EM (1975) Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments. J Mol Biol98: 503–517

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang H, Narin J, Ozias-Akins P (2003) Transformation of peanut using a modified bacterial mercuric ion reductase gene driven by an actin promoter fromArabidopsis thaliana. J Plant Physiol160: 945–952

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Division, Korea Forest Research Institute, 441-350, Suwon, Republic of Korea

    Young Im Choi, Eun Woon Noh, Hyo Shin Lee, Mu Seok Han & Jae Soon Lee

  2. Department of Applied Science, Chungnam National University, 305-764, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Kwan Sam Choi

Authors
  1. Young Im Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eun Woon Noh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hyo Shin Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mu Seok Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jae Soon Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kwan Sam Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eun Woon Noh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Choi, Y.I., Noh, E.W., Lee, H.S. et al. Mercury-tolerant Transgenic Poplars Expressing Two Bacterial Mercury-metabolizing Genes. J. Plant Biol. 50, 658–662 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03030610

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03030610

Keywords

Search

Navigation