砷的生物转化与代谢机制研究进展

砷广泛分布于自然界中,与人类的活动与健康息息相关.一方面,砷中毒与砷污染事件在全球范围内的频发,严重威胁人类的健康.目前的研究发现自然界中的抗砷微生物直接参与了砷的地球化学循环,在砷的生物转化以及在砷污染的生物治理中起到重要的作用.另一方面,砷作为毒物的同时亦是一种有效的中西药制剂,在治疗血液系统、恶性淋巴系统疾病及癌症中具有明显的疗效,因此砷在人体的转化过程与机制研究有待深入的探讨.有鉴于此,对砷在自然界和人体中的转化形式以及抗砷微生物的抗砷机制进行了阐述,并对砷的微生物转化在环境与医学中的应用进行了展望.     

微生物耐砷机理及其在砷地球化学循环中的作用北大核心CSCD

砷是一种无处不在的有毒类金属,其强致癌性引起了人类的广泛关注。在自然环境中,砷的转化存在物理化学过程和生物过程,其中微生物介导的砷转化是环境砷行为的主要影响因素。微生物的耐砷特性与砷吸收、氧化还原、甲基化、区隔化和外排等过程密切相关。砷在微生物体内的转运转化主要与砷解毒有关,但某些微生物可利用氧化还原过程产生的能量以维持其生长需求。本文综述了微生物介导的砷吸收、转化、区隔化和外排机制,这对阐明砷的地球化学循环过程及指导砷污染土壤和水体修复、阻控农作物砷吸收等方面具有重要意义。     

陆地水环境中砷的迁移转化

由于自然和人为活动,已有大量的砷进入地表和地下水系之中,在一些地区造成严重的水砷污染问题,威胁生态系统安全和人类健康。砷的毒性与砷的存在形态与价态密切相关,研究其在环境中的迁移转化规律是有效降低砷的生态与健康风险的科学基础。本文以水环境为对象,就砷的性质及毒性,水环境中砷的来源、形态分布及迁移转化研究进展进行综述,重点围绕沉积物-水界面砷的迁移转化规律进行展开;对砷在环境中迁移转化的影响因素,包括Eh-p H、水合金属氧化物、有机质、微生物和粘土矿物等进行系统阐述,以期对今后水环境砷污染的预防和治理提供借鉴。     

多孔介质中的微生物迁移行为与影响因素研究进展

微生物在地下水和土壤环境中的迁移与地下水资源保护、地下水污染修复及土壤污染防治等息息相关。自然界中多孔介质具有结构复杂性和空间异质性。这导致微生物在其中的迁移易受多重环境因素的影响。本文总结了几种典型多孔介质中微生物迁移模型、理论与研究方法,并对多孔介质中影响微生物迁移行为的3种因素——物理、化学和生物因素进行了梳理。其中物理因素的影响主要包括多孔介质的粒径、表面粗糙度、饱和度、环境温度、水体流速等相关;化学因素主要包含流体pH、离子种类与强度、可溶性有机物含量、多孔介质自身化学性质等;生物因素不但涉及微生物种类、细胞大小和细胞表面特性,还与胞外聚合物的分泌、鞭毛运动及趋化性等相关。本综述旨在总结近年来有关微生物在多孔介质中迁移的相关研究,深入理解微生物在多孔介质中的迁移行为,为其在地下水和土壤污染修复中的实际应用提供理论依据。     

微生物对砷的作用机理及利用真菌修复砷污染土壤的可行性

利用真菌修复砷污染土壤和水体具有很大的发展潜力,是环境科学领域研究的热点.环境中存在的砷虽然不能像有机污染物那样被微生物降解,但可以通过微生物对砷的氧化/还原、吸附/解吸、甲基化/去甲基化、沉淀/溶解等作用影响其生物有效性,从而达到降低环境中的砷毒害、修复砷污染环境的目的.本文阐述了微生物对砷的作用机理,综述了真菌对砷累积与挥发研究的最新进展,探讨了其在修复砷污染土壤方面的可行性,旨在为利用真菌来修复砷污染土壤提供理论依据.     

抗砷性微生物及其抗砷分子机制研究进展

砷(Arsenic, As)是一种剧毒类金属(Metalloid), 在自然环境中主要以三价亚砷酸盐[Arsenite, AsO2-, As(III)]和五价砷酸盐[Arsenate, AsO43-, As(V)]的无机形式广泛存在。许多微生物在含砷环境的长期适应过程中, 进化了多种不同的砷解毒抗性机制。目前研究发现主要存在4种类型的砷抗性机理, 包括: As(III)氧化, 细胞质As(V)还原, 呼吸性As(V)还原, As(III)甲基化, 这些机制赋予微生物砷抗性并在砷的转化和地球化学循环中起着极     

4种蚯蚓肠道微生物对砷毒性的响应差异研究

蚯蚓肠道是微生物多样性的一个潜在存储库。砷对蚯蚓肠道微生物群落的影响已被证实,但砷在不同蚯蚓肠道菌群中生物转化的差异仍不清楚。为了进一步阐述土壤中广泛存在的低浓度砷(浓度为5,15,25 mg/kg)对不同种类蚯蚓肠道微生物影响的差异,将4种典型蚯蚓暴露于砷污染土壤后,测定其肠道微生物组成变化,并分析砷对不同蚯蚓肠道内砷富集、形态和砷生物转化基因的影响。结果显示,所有蚯蚓组织内均存在明显的砷富集,其富集系数由高到低依次为:安德爱胜蚓(1.93)>加州腔蚓(0.80)>通俗腔蚓(0.78)>湖北远盲蚓(0.52),蚯蚓组织和肠道内砷形态主要以无机砷为主,其中As(III)含量比例> 80%,部分蚯蚓组织内还发现少量有机砷。4种蚯蚓肠道微生物群落在门水平上主要以变形菌、厚壁菌和放线菌为主,并与周围土壤细菌群落组成存在显著差异。同时,在土壤和肠道内共检测到17个砷转化基因,其中蚯蚓肠道内As(V)还原和砷转运相关基因相对丰度较高,而砷(去)甲基化基因丰度较低。此外,低浓度砷污染对蚯蚓生长无显著影响,却能引起蚯蚓肠道微生物群落的紊乱。蚯蚓种类和砷污染是引起蚯蚓肠道微生物...     

微生物在地球化学铁循环过程中的作用

铁元素虽然只在地壳含量中位列第4,但却是地球上分布最广的变价金属元素之一,微生物介导的铁循环及其与生源要素碳、氮、氧和硫等耦合的氧化还原反应是微生物地球化学循环的重要驱动力.由于铁循环过程中氧化态三价铁Fe(Ⅲ)在环境p H条件下大多以不溶状态存在,因而由其参与的地球化学循环进程通常较为缓慢.研究表明,微生物在铁元素的地球化学循环过程中起着举足轻重的作用,并在该过程中参与矿物的生成与转化.近年来的最新研究发现,参与地球化学铁循环的微生物之间,微生物与矿物之间,以及矿物介导的微生物之间存在着多样的相互作用,而含铁矿物介导的微生物胞外电子传递机制是其中最受瞩目的研究热点.本文综述了微生物介导的地球化学铁循环过程的类型及其过程中的主导微生物,并针对铁还原过程中已知的微生物胞外电子传递机制做了介绍.文中涉及的微生物地球化学铁循环过程中的各种相互作用,已经成为相关研究领域的热点问题,最新研究结果将为进一步阐明微生物地球化学铁循环过程、机制及其环境效应提供重要的理论依据和研究基础.     

中国典型高硒区硒的环境地球化学研究进展

硒是人体和动物必需的微量元素,但其营养性的阈值范围较窄,已引起了不同领域研究者的广泛关注。综述了近20年来我国典型高硒区——湖北恩施富硒岩石与土壤中硒的分布与形态、硒的赋存状态、硒的迁移转化规律、硒的生物可利用性与人体健康风险、微生物与硒相互作用等硒的环境地球化学过程与循环规律,以及硒的同位素地球化学等方面的重要研究进展,并对硒的环境地球化学未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

塑料的生物降解与转化专刊序言

合成塑料已广泛应用于国民经济各领域,是国民经济的支柱产业。然而,不规范生产、使用塑料制品以及处置塑料废弃物等问题,造成塑料在环境中长期累积,导致了严重的环境污染和碳资源浪费。生物降解是实现废塑料污染治理与资源化的新途径,已成为国内外废弃塑料处置研究的热点。近年来,在塑料降解微生物/酶资源的分离、筛选、鉴定以及对其进行工程化改造等方面取得了重要突破,为环境中微塑料的治理、废塑料的闭环循环再生提供了新的思路和方案。另一方面,利用微生物(纯菌或菌群)将塑料降解产生的单体进一步转化为生物可降解塑料及其他具有高附加值的化合物,对于解决废塑料的生态环境污染、推动塑料循环经济发展以及减少塑料在生命周期中的碳排放等方面具有重要意义。《生物工程学报》特组织出版“塑料的生物降解与转化”专刊,邀请了国内外塑料生物降解与转化领域的相关专家学者介绍了塑料生物降解资源的发掘、塑料解聚酶的设计与改造、塑料降解物的生物高值转化等领域最新进展和研究成果,收录了包括评论、综述、研究论文等类型的相关文章16篇,为塑料生物降解与转化的进一步研究提供借鉴和指导。     

Bacterial metabolism of environmental arsenic—mechanisms and biotechnological applications

Arsenic causes threats for environmental and human health in numerous places around the world mainly due to its carcinogenic potential at low doses. Removing arsenic from contaminated sites is hampered by the occurrence of several oxidation states with different physicochemical properties. The actual state of arsenic strongly depends on its environment whereby microorganisms play important roles in its geochemical cycle. Due to its toxicity, nearly all organisms possess metabolic mechanisms to resist its hazardous effects, mainly by active extrusion, but also by extracellular precipitation, chelation, and intracellular sequestration. Some microbes are even able to actively use various arsenic compounds in their metabolism, either as an electron donor or as a terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration. Some microorganisms can also methylate inorganic arsenic, probably as a resistance mechanism, or demethylate organic arsenicals. Bioavailability of arsenic in water and sediments is strongly influenced by such microbial activities. Therefore, understanding microbial reactions to arsenic is of importance for the development of technologies for improved bioremediation of arsenic-contaminated waters and environments. This review gives an overview of the current knowledge on bacterial interactions with arsenic and on biotechnologies for its detoxification and removal.     

厌氧甲烷氧化微生物物质代谢与能量代谢研究进展

甲烷既是一种温室气体,也是一种潜在的能源物质,其源与汇的平衡对地球化学循环及工程应用均有重要意义。厌氧甲烷氧化(anaerobic oxidation of methane,AOM)过程是深海、湿地和农田等自然生境中重要的甲烷汇,在缓解温室气体排放方面发挥了巨大作用。AOM微生物的中枢代谢机制及其能量转化途径则是介导厌氧甲烷氧化耦合其他物质还原的关键所在。因此,本文从电子受体多样性的视角,主要分析了硫酸盐型,硝酸盐/亚硝酸盐型,金属还原型厌氧甲烷氧化微生物的生理生化过程及环境分布,并对近些年发现的新型厌氧甲烷氧化进行了梳理;重点总结了厌氧甲烷氧化微生物细胞内电子传递路径以及胞外电子传递方式;根据厌氧甲烷氧化微生物环境分布及反应特征,就其生态学意义及在污染治理与能源回收方面的潜在应用价值进行了展望。本综述以期深化对厌氧甲烷氧化过程的微生物学认知,并为其潜在的工程应用方向提供新的思路。     

Microbial responses to environmental arsenic

Microorganisms have evolved dynamic mechanisms for facing the toxicity of arsenic in the environment. In this sense, arsenic speciation and mobility is also affected by the microbial metabolism that participates in the biogeochemical cycle of the element. The ars operon constitutes the most ubiquitous and important scheme of arsenic tolerance in bacteria. This system mediates the extrusion of arsenite out of the cells. There are also other microbial activities that alter the chemical characteristics of arsenic: some strains are able to oxidize arsenite or reduce arsenate as part of their respiratory processes. These type of microorganisms require membrane associated proteins that transfer electrons from or to arsenic (AoxAB and ArrAB, respectively). Other enzymatic transformations, such as methylation-demethylation reactions, exchange inorganic arsenic into organic forms contributing to its complex environmental turnover. This short review highlights recent studies in ecology, biochemistry and molecular biology of these processes in bacteria, and also provides some examples of genetic engineering for enhanced arsenic accumulation based on phytochelatins or metallothionein-like proteins.     

铁氧化菌耐砷机制及其砷污染修复应用的研究进展

砷污染作为全球性环境问题已经引起了人们的高度重视。无机砷化合物可与铁氢氧化物络合通过共沉淀作用去除。因此,利用具有砷耐性的铁氧化菌氧化环境中的铁元素去除砷化合物具有潜在的应用前景。目前已有利用铁氧化菌去除环境中砷污染物的报道。用于砷污染修复的铁氧化菌必须有一定的砷耐性才能在含砷环境中行使功能。微生物是否具有砷耐性往往取决于基因,并且不同的菌株具有不同的生理特征,适宜不同砷污染环境的修复。本文通过对8株代表性的铁氧化菌砷耐性基因的总结,阐述其耐砷机制、研究概况及应用前景,以期为铁氧化菌用于除砷新技术的开发提供参考。     

滨海湿地生态系统土壤微生物及其影响因素研究综述

土壤微生物是滨海湿地生态系统中不可或缺的关键组分,在土壤发育、物质循环和污染物净化等诸多土壤生态过程中发挥着重要作用,对滨海湿地生态系统的维持与健康具有重大影响。系统梳理了滨海湿地土壤微生物群落结构特征和多样性,综述了土壤理化性质、植被状况、水文因素、生物入侵、全球变化、湿地开垦、石油污染等因素对滨海湿地土壤微生物的影响。在此基础上,对今后的研究重点提出了4个方面的展望:(1)加强全球变化多因子交互作用下滨海湿地土壤微生物的响应机制;(2)强化滨海湿地土壤微生物与环境因子的互作机理;(3)深化滨海湿地水动力条件对土壤微生物的影响机制;(4)开展土壤微生物与滨海湿地生态系统物质循环综合研究。研究以期为滨海湿地生态系统的保护和修复提供参考。     

Interactions of microorganisms with rare earth ions and their utilization for separation and environmental technology

In recent years, rare earth elements (REEs) have been widely used in various modern technological devices and the global demand for REE has been increasing. The increased demand for REEs has led to environmental exposure or water pollution from rare earth metal mines and various commercial products. Therefore, the development of a safe technology for the separation and adsorption of REEs is very important from the perspective of green chemistry and environmental pollution. In this review, the application and mechanisms of microorganisms for the removal and extraction of REEs from aqueous solutions are described. In addition, the advantages in using microorganisms for REE adsorption and future studies on this topic are discussed.     

Arsenic hazards: strategies for tolerance and remediation by plants

Arsenic toxicity has become a global concern owing to the ever-increasing contamination of water, soil and crops in many regions of the world. To limit the detrimental impact of arsenic compounds, efficient strategies such as phytoremediation are required. Suitable plants include arsenic hyperaccumulating ferns and aquatic plants that are capable of completing their life cycle in the presence of high levels of arsenic through the concerted action of arsenate reduction to arsenite, arsenite complexation, and vacuolar compartmentalization of complexed or inorganic arsenic. Tolerance can also be conferred by lowering arsenic uptake by suppression of phosphate transport activity, a major pathway for arsenate entry. In many unicellular organisms, arsenic tolerance is based on the active removal of cytosolic arsenite while limiting the uptake of arsenate. Recent molecular studies have revealed many of the gene products involved in these processes, providing the tools to improve crop species and to optimize phytoremediation; however, so far only single genes have been manipulated, which has limited progress. We will discuss recent advances and their potential applications, particularly in the context of multigenic engineering approaches.     

Regional spatial modeling of topsoil geochemistry

Summary .  Geographic information about the levels of toxics in environmental media is commonly used in regional environmental health studies when direct measurements of personal exposure is limited or unavailable. In this article, we propose a statistical framework for analyzing the spatial distribution of topsoil geochemical properties, including the concentrations of various toxicants. Due to the small-scale heterogeneity of most geochemical topsoil processes, direct measurements of the processes themselves only provide highly localized information; it is thus financially prohibitive to study the spatial patterns of these processes across a large region using traditional geostatistical analyses of point-referenced topsoil data. Instead, it is standard practice to assess geochemical patterns at a regional scale using point-referenced measurements collected in stream sediment because, unlike topsoil data, individual stream sediment geochemical measurements are representative of the surrounding area. We propose a novel multiscale soils (MSS) model that formally synthesizes data collected in topsoil and stream sediment and allows the richer stream sediment information to inform about the topsoil process, which in environmental health studies is typically more relevant. Our model accommodates the small-scale heterogeneity of topsoil geochemical processes by modeling spatial dependence at an aggregate resolution corresponding to hydrologically similar regions known as watersheds. We present an analysis of the levels of arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, in topsoil across the midwestern United States using the MSS model and show that this model has better predictive abilities than alternative approaches using more conventional statistical models for point-referenced spatial data.     

Selenium interactions and toxicity: a review

Selenium is an essential trace element for mammals. Through selenoproteins, this mineral participates in various biological processes such as antioxidant defence, thyroid hormone production, and immune responses. Some reports indicate that a human organism deficient in selenium may be prone to certain diseases. Adverse health effects following selenium overexposure, although very rare, have been found in animals and people. Contrary to selenium, arsenic and cadmium are regarded as toxic elements. Both are environmental and industrial pollutants, and exposure to excessive amounts of arsenic or cadmium can pose a threat to many people’s health, especially those living in polluted regions. Two other elements, vanadium and chromium(III) in trace amounts are believed to play essential physiological functions in mammals. This review summarizes recent studies on selenium interactions with arsenic and cadmium and selenium interactions with vanadium and chromium in mammals. Human studies have demonstrated that selenium may reduce arsenic accumulation in the organism and protect against arsenic-related skin lesions. Selenium was found to antagonise the prooxidant and genotoxic effects of arsenic in rodents and cell cultures. Also, studies on selenium effects against oxidative stress induced by cadmium in various animal tissues produced promising results. Reports suggest that selenium protection against toxicity of arsenic and cadmium is mediated via sequestration of these elements into biologically inert conjugates. Selenium-dependent antioxidant enzymes probably play a secondary role in arsenic and cadmium detoxification. So far, few studies have evaluated selenium effects on chromium(III) and vanadium actions in mammals. Still, they show that selenium may interact with these minerals. Taken together, the recent findings regarding selenium interaction with other elements extend our understanding of selenium biological functions and highlight selenium as a potential countermeasure against toxicity induced by arsenic and cadmium.     

Toxicogenomics of arsenic: classical ideas and recent advances

Exposure to arsenic, a toxic metalloid distributed widely in nature, has been known to result in hazardous health outcomes including cancer. Incidence of arsenic toxicity, mostly from usage of underground water, has been reported from different corners of the world spanning more than 21 countries. Recent studies have radically influenced our knowledge on the level of toxicity imparted by different chemical forms of the metalloid. To understand the basic biology for arsenic metabolism different species have been studied at the molecular level, which has unraveled a wealth of information. However, there is no ideal animal model that can be used to understand arsenic toxicity in humans prompting the investigators to undertake the study directly in human cell lines and on affected individuals in areas of exposure. It is interesting to note that only a subset of exposed individuals demonstrate pathological features, i.e. skin lesions sometimes followed by cancer. Also, the extent of affectedness varies remarkably between individuals exposed to similar levels of arsenic. These observations led to investigation of genomic variation in exposed individuals as a potential contributing factor for differential susceptibility. An impressive number of studies have been published on variation in global gene expression and the potential association of candidate genes with arsenic-induced pathology. While there are excellent reviews relating to arsenic metabolism in general, there is no comprehensive review presenting the studies described in humans related to the metalloid toxicity. Our goal in this article has been to present the current state of research on this area to help formulate strategies for future studies.