Meyer Lorraine, Guyot Stéphane, Chalot Michel, Capelli Nicolas
Chrono-environnement UMR 6249, Université de Franche-Comté CNRS, F-25000 Besançon, France.
Université de Bourgogne, Institut Agro, PAM UMR A 02.102, F-21000 Dijon, France.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 Jun 26;262:115185. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115185.
Mercury (Hg) pollution is a global issue due to the high toxicity and wide dispersion of Hg around the world. Whether due to anthropogenic activities or natural processes, Hg emissions are steadily increasing, with very high levels in some regions, directly threatening human and ecosystem health. However, bacteria and fungi have evolved and adapted in response to Hg-induced stress and have developed tolerance mechanisms, notably based on the mer operon system that is involved in Hg uptake and biovolatilization via Hg reduction reactions. Other processes, such as bioaccumulation or extracellular sequestration, are involved in Hg resistance, and the study of contaminated soils has allowed the isolation of a number of microorganisms capable of these mechanisms, with strong potential for the implementation of bioremediation approaches. In addition to playing an important role in determining the fate of Hg in the biogeochemical cycle, these microorganisms can indeed be applied to reduce Hg concentrations or at least stabilize Hg for the remediation of polluted soils. Moreover, thanks to the development of biotechnological tools, bioremediation based on Hg-tolerant microorganisms can be optimized. Finally, these microorganisms are relevant candidates for biomonitoring, for example, through the engineering of biosensors, because the detection of Hg is a major issue in preserving the health of living beings.
汞（Hg）污染是一个全球性问题，因为汞在全球具有高毒性且分布广泛。无论是由于人为活动还是自然过程，汞排放都在稳步增加，一些地区的汞含量极高，直接威胁着人类和生态系统健康。然而，细菌和真菌已经进化并适应了汞诱导的压力，并发展出了耐受机制，特别是基于mer操纵子系统，该系统通过汞还原反应参与汞的吸收和生物挥发。其他过程，如生物积累或细胞外螯合，也与汞抗性有关，对污染土壤的研究使得能够分离出许多具有这些机制的微生物，它们在实施生物修复方法方面具有巨大潜力。除了在生物地球化学循环中决定汞的归宿方面发挥重要作用外，这些微生物确实可用于降低汞浓度或至少稳定汞，以修复污染土壤。此外，由于生物技术工具的发展，基于耐汞微生物的生物修复可以得到优化。最后，这些微生物是生物监测的相关候选者，例如，通过生物传感器的工程设计，因为汞的检测是保护生物健康的一个主要问题。
