This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kelly, D.
Right arrow Articles by Lefebvre, D. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kelly, D.
Right arrow Articles by Lefebvre, D. D.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Kelly, D.
Right arrow Articles by Lefebvre, D. D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 361-367, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.361-367.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mercury Analysis of Acid- and Alkaline-Reduced Biological Samples: Identification of meta-Cinnabar as the Major Biotransformed Compound in Algae{dagger}

David Kelly, Kenneth Budd, and Daniel D. Lefebvre*

Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada

Received 29 June 2005/ Accepted 23 September 2005

The biotransformation of HgII in pH-controlled and aerated algal cultures was investigated. Previous researchers have observed losses in Hg detection in vitro with the addition of cysteine under acid reduction conditions in the presence of SnCl2. They proposed that this was the effect of Hg-thiol complexing. The present study found that cysteine-Hg, protein and nonprotein thiol chelates, and nucleoside chelates of Hg were all fully detectable under acid reduction conditions without previous digestion. Furthermore, organic (R-Hg) mercury compounds could not be detected under either the acid or alkaline reduction conditions, and only ß-HgS was detected under alkaline and not under acid SnCl2 reduction conditions. The blue-green alga Limnothrix planctonica biotransformed the bulk of HgII applied as HgCl2 into a form with the analytical properties of ß-HgS. Similar results were obtained for the eukaryotic alga Selenastrum minutum. No evidence for the synthesis of organomercurials such as CH3Hg+ was obtained from analysis of either airstream or biomass samples under the aerobic conditions of the study. An analytical procedure that involved both acid and alkaline reduction was developed. It provides the first selective method for the determination of ß-HgS in biological samples. Under aerobic conditions, HgII is biotransformed mainly into ß-HgS (meta-cinnabar), and this occurs in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic algae. This has important implications with respect to identification of mercury species and cycling in aquatic habitats.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada. Phone: (613) 533-6141. Fax: (613) 533-6617. E-mail: lefebvre{at}biology.queensu.ca

{dagger} This paper is dedicated to the memory of K. Budd.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2006, p. 361-367, Vol. 72, No. 1
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.361-367.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Lefebvre, D. D., Kelly, D., Budd, K. (2007). Biotransformation of Hg(II) by Cyanobacteria. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 243-249 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»