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. 1989 May;55(5):1196–1202. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.5.1196-1202.1989

Environmental significance of the potential for mer(Tn21)-mediated reduction of Hg2+ to Hg0 in natural waters.

T Barkay 1, C Liebert 1, M Gillman 1
PMCID: PMC184276  PMID: 2547336

Abstract

The role of mer(Tn21) in the adaptation of aquatic microbial communities to Hg2+ was investigated. Elemental mercury was the sole product of Hg2+ volatilization by freshwater and saline water microbial communities. Bacterial activity was responsible for biotransformation because most microeucaryotes did not survive the exposure conditions, and removal of larger microbes (greater than 1 micromole) from adapted communities did not significantly (P greater than 0.01) reduce Hg2+ volatilization rates. DNA sequences homologous to mer(Tn21) were found in 50% of Hg2+-resistant bacterial strains representing two freshwater communities, but in only 12% of strains representing two saline communities (the difference was highly significant; P less than 0.001). Thus, mer(Tn21) played a significant role in Hg2+ resistance among strains isolated from fresh waters, in which microbial activity had a limited role in Hg2+ volatilization. In saline water environments in which microbially mediated volatilization was the major mechanism of Hg2+ loss, other bacterial genes coded for this biotransformation.

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Selected References

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