Abstract
The manufacture and improper disposal of explosives has resulted in a significant amount of land requiring remediation. The compound 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is the most persistent and toxic of the explosive pollutants with current treatment methods being energy intensive and costly. Bacterial enzymes such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase (PETNR) from Enterobacter cloacae PB2 have been found to have activity against TNT; however, microbes often lack the biomassnecessary for remediation applications. The PETNRgene (onr1) was transformed into tobacco plants in an attempt to combine the metabolic diversity of microbes with the sequestering properties of plants. The resulting transgenic plants were shown to have enhanced tolerance to TNT during germination and as seedlings. Phytoremediation applications with these plants may provide an alternative treatment of TNT contamination.
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Hannink, N.K., Rosser, S.J., French, C.E. et al. Uptake and Metabolism of TNT and GTN by Plants Expressing Bacterial Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate Reductase. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus 3, 251–258 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023906523833
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023906523833