Technology has improved human quality of life but it caused several impacts also, due to the various contaminants released in the environment. Among these contaminants, mercury is a major concern because of its high toxicity and ubiquity in the biosphere, being classified as a global pollutant. It can occur in different forms (i.e. soluble, gaseous or solid) and chemical species (e.g. Methylmercury, elemental mercury, Hg (II), etc.), which have very different physico-chemical characteristics that, in turn, determine its cycling and bioavailability. Thus, to assess mercury potential impacts, it is necessary to go beyond the total quantitative determination, developing methods that can measure the toxicity of individual Hg species. In this context, we used a novel technique, a bioluminescent microbial biosensor, which detect only bioavailable mercury species, since bacterial Hg bioavailability is critical to define their risks. Biosensors have large applicabilities in different scientific domains such as environmental biomonitoring, medicine, and food analysis. The chosen biological receptor for the biosensor was the bacteria Escherichia coli MC1061, which is a genetic engineered organism capable of emitting light proportional to amount of Hg that enters its cell. Therefore it is a true mercury bioavailability measurement. In the present study the biosensor was used to detect bioavailable mercury from environmental samples collected at three different locations (open dump, semi-controlled landfill and controlled landfill).The biosensor showed high specificity for Hg (II) and good repeatability. Among the tested samples, collected between September and October 2009, the open dump samples had the highest bioavailable mercury levels compared to other samples from semi-controlled and controlled landfill. Thus, the bioluminescent microbial biosensor technique were sensitive enough to measure bioavailable Hg in landfill samples, and probably in other environmental samples, showing a high potential as an environmental monitoring method.
| Published in | American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering (Volume 1, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12 |
| Page(s) | 44-48 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Biosensor, Bioluminescence, Bioavailable Mercury, Escherichia ColiMC1061
| [1] | L. D. Lacerda and O. Malm, "Contaminação por mercúrio em ecossistemas aquáticos : uma análise das áreas críticas," Estudos Avançados, vol. 22, no. 63, 2008, pp. 173–190. |
| [2] | T. Barkay, S. M. Miller, and A. O. Summers, "Bacterial mercury resistance from atoms to ecosystems," FEMS Microbiology Reviews, vol. 27, no. 2–3, 2003,pp. 355–384. |
| [3] | F. M. M. Morel, A. M. L. Kraepiel, and M. Amyot, "The Chemical Cycle and Bioaccumulation Franc," Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., vol. 29, 1998, pp. 543–566. |
| [4] | R. P. Mason, J. R. Reinfelder, and F. M. M. Morel, "Uptake, Toxicity, and Trophic Transfer of Mercury in a Coastal Diatom," Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 30, no. 6, 1996, pp. 1835–1845. |
| [5] | R. Tecon and J. R. van der Meer, "Bacterial Biosensors for Measuring Availability of Environmental Pollutants," Sensors, vol. 8, no. 7, 2008, pp. 4062–4080. |
| [6] | S. Rodriguez-Mozaz, M. P. Marco, M. J. . de Alda, and D. Barceló, "Biosensors for environmental applications: Future development trends," Pure and Applied Chemistry, vol. 76, no. 4, 2004,pp. 723–752. |
| [7] | M. J. Dennison and A. P. F. Turner, "Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring," Biotech. Adv., vol. 13, no. 94, 1995, pp. 1–12. |
| [8] | Karube and K. Nakanishi, "Immobilized cells used for detection and analysis.," Current opinion in biotechnology, vol. 5, no. 1, 1994, pp. 54–59. |
| [9] | M. Virta, J. Lampsnen, and M. Karp, "Luminescence-Based Mercury Biosensor," Analytical Chemistry, vol. 67, no. 3,1995, pp. 667–669. |
| [10] | P. R. G. Barrocas, "Assessment of Mercury ( II ) Species Bioavailability Using a Bioluminescent Bacterial Biosensor," 2003. |
| [11] | E. Greenberg, L. S. Clesceri, and A. O. Eaton, "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and astewater," no. 1, 1992. |
| [12] | E. Greenberg, L. S. Clesceri, and A. O. Eaton, "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," 2005. |
| [13] | L. M. Segato and C. L. da Silva, "Caracterização do Chorume do Aterro," XXVII Congresso Interamericano de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental. XXVII Congresso Interamericano de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental ABES - Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, vol. 1, 2000, pp. 1–9. |
| [14] | W. Stumm and J.J. Morgan. "Aquatic Chemistry: chemical equilibria and rates in natural waters". Wiley-Interscience, 1995. |
| [15] | S.M.Tauriainen, M. P. J. Virta and M. T. Karp. "Detecting bioavailable toxic metals andmetalloids from natural water samples using luminescent sensor bacteria". Water Research, vol. 34, no.10, 2000, pp.2661-2666. |
APA Style
G. S. Costa, A. M. Salgado, P. R. G. Barrocas. (2013). Advances on Using a Bioluminescent Microbial Biosensor to Detect Bioavailable Hg (II) In Real Samples. American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 1(3), 44-48. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12
ACS Style
G. S. Costa; A. M. Salgado; P. R. G. Barrocas. Advances on Using a Bioluminescent Microbial Biosensor to Detect Bioavailable Hg (II) In Real Samples. Am. J. BioSci. Bioeng. 2013, 1(3), 44-48. doi: 10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12
AMA Style
G. S. Costa, A. M. Salgado, P. R. G. Barrocas. Advances on Using a Bioluminescent Microbial Biosensor to Detect Bioavailable Hg (II) In Real Samples. Am J BioSci Bioeng. 2013;1(3):44-48. doi: 10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12,
author = {G. S. Costa and A. M. Salgado and P. R. G. Barrocas},
title = {Advances on Using a Bioluminescent Microbial Biosensor to Detect Bioavailable Hg (II) In Real Samples},
journal = {American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering},
volume = {1},
number = {3},
pages = {44-48},
doi = {10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.bio.20130103.12},
abstract = {Technology has improved human quality of life but it caused several impacts also, due to the various contaminants released in the environment. Among these contaminants, mercury is a major concern because of its high toxicity and ubiquity in the biosphere, being classified as a global pollutant. It can occur in different forms (i.e. soluble, gaseous or solid) and chemical species (e.g. Methylmercury, elemental mercury, Hg (II), etc.), which have very different physico-chemical characteristics that, in turn, determine its cycling and bioavailability. Thus, to assess mercury potential impacts, it is necessary to go beyond the total quantitative determination, developing methods that can measure the toxicity of individual Hg species. In this context, we used a novel technique, a bioluminescent microbial biosensor, which detect only bioavailable mercury species, since bacterial Hg bioavailability is critical to define their risks. Biosensors have large applicabilities in different scientific domains such as environmental biomonitoring, medicine, and food analysis. The chosen biological receptor for the biosensor was the bacteria Escherichia coli MC1061, which is a genetic engineered organism capable of emitting light proportional to amount of Hg that enters its cell. Therefore it is a true mercury bioavailability measurement. In the present study the biosensor was used to detect bioavailable mercury from environmental samples collected at three different locations (open dump, semi-controlled landfill and controlled landfill).The biosensor showed high specificity for Hg (II) and good repeatability. Among the tested samples, collected between September and October 2009, the open dump samples had the highest bioavailable mercury levels compared to other samples from semi-controlled and controlled landfill. Thus, the bioluminescent microbial biosensor technique were sensitive enough to measure bioavailable Hg in landfill samples, and probably in other environmental samples, showing a high potential as an environmental monitoring method.},
year = {2013}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Advances on Using a Bioluminescent Microbial Biosensor to Detect Bioavailable Hg (II) In Real Samples AU - G. S. Costa AU - A. M. Salgado AU - P. R. G. Barrocas Y1 - 2013/07/10 PY - 2013 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12 DO - 10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12 T2 - American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering JF - American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering JO - American Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering SP - 44 EP - 48 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-5893 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bio.20130103.12 AB - Technology has improved human quality of life but it caused several impacts also, due to the various contaminants released in the environment. Among these contaminants, mercury is a major concern because of its high toxicity and ubiquity in the biosphere, being classified as a global pollutant. It can occur in different forms (i.e. soluble, gaseous or solid) and chemical species (e.g. Methylmercury, elemental mercury, Hg (II), etc.), which have very different physico-chemical characteristics that, in turn, determine its cycling and bioavailability. Thus, to assess mercury potential impacts, it is necessary to go beyond the total quantitative determination, developing methods that can measure the toxicity of individual Hg species. In this context, we used a novel technique, a bioluminescent microbial biosensor, which detect only bioavailable mercury species, since bacterial Hg bioavailability is critical to define their risks. Biosensors have large applicabilities in different scientific domains such as environmental biomonitoring, medicine, and food analysis. The chosen biological receptor for the biosensor was the bacteria Escherichia coli MC1061, which is a genetic engineered organism capable of emitting light proportional to amount of Hg that enters its cell. Therefore it is a true mercury bioavailability measurement. In the present study the biosensor was used to detect bioavailable mercury from environmental samples collected at three different locations (open dump, semi-controlled landfill and controlled landfill).The biosensor showed high specificity for Hg (II) and good repeatability. Among the tested samples, collected between September and October 2009, the open dump samples had the highest bioavailable mercury levels compared to other samples from semi-controlled and controlled landfill. Thus, the bioluminescent microbial biosensor technique were sensitive enough to measure bioavailable Hg in landfill samples, and probably in other environmental samples, showing a high potential as an environmental monitoring method. VL - 1 IS - 3 ER -
Email: