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New ORNL tool probes for genes linked to toxic methyl mercury, could help Y-12 cleanup

Posted at 7:43 pm July 24, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

ORNL Andrew King Mercury Methylation Genes

Andrew King loads a gel with amplified gene fragments to detect the presence of mercury methylation genes in samples from East Fork Poplar Creek in Oak Ridge. (Photo by ORNL)

 

Environmental scientists can more efficiently detect genes required to convert mercury in the environment into more toxic methylmercury with molecular probes developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The research could help the cleanup work at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

“We now have a quick and easy-to-use tool that we can employ in any environment to test for the presence of microorganisms capable of methylating mercury and determine how abundant they are,” said ORNL’s Geoff Christensen, a post-doc and lead author of a paper published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

In 2013, ORNL researchers reported in Science on the discovery of two genes known to transform inorganic mercury into its highly toxic organic form. Development of the newly validated probes further advances research to protect human health, a press release said.

For this study, researchers tested the probes against 31 strains of microorganisms for which they know the ones that produce methylmercury and scored a 94 percent confirmation rate, the press release said. This validation procedure is critical to the next step of moving the probes into the field to help determine the amount of methylmercury likely to be generated in any given environment. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Ally Soren, Andrew King, Ann Wymore, Anthony Palumbo, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Biosciences Division, Craig Brandt, Cynthia Gilmour, Development and Validation of Broad-Range Qualitative and Clade-Specific Quantitative Molecular Probes for Assessing Mercury Methylation in the Environment, DOE, Dwayne Elias, East Fork Poplar Creek, Eugenio Santillan, Geoff Christensen, inorganic mercury, Judy Wall, mercury, mercury methylation, mercury methylation genes, methylmercury, Mircea Podar, molecular probes, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Science, ORNL, Richard Hurt Jr., science, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Steven Brown, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Missouri, Y-12 National Security Complex

ORNL: Toxic methylmercury-producing microbes more widespread than realized

Posted at 12:18 pm September 13, 2013
By Oak Ridge National Laboratory Leave a Comment

Microbes that live in rice paddies, northern peat bogs, and other previously unexpected environments are among the bacteria that can generate highly toxic methylmercury, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center have learned.

This finding, published in Environmental Science and Technology, explains why deadly methylated mercury is produced in areas where the neurotoxin’s presence has puzzled researchers for decades. Methylmercury—the most dangerous form of mercury—damages the brain and immune system and is especially harmful to developing embryos. Certain bacteria transform inorganic mercury into toxic methylmercury. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Science, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alex Johs, Allyson Bullock, Andrew Graham, Anil Somenahally, bacteria, Biosciences Division, Cindy Gilmour, Dwayne Elias, Environmental Science and Technology, Grinnell College, Kathryn Bailey, mercury, Mercury methylation by novel microbes from new environments, methlyated mercury, methylmercury, microbes, Mircea Podar, National Science Foundation, neurotoxin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Science, ORNL, Richard Hurt, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, Steven Brown, toxic, U.S. Department of Energy

ORNL research reveals new challenges for mercury cleanup

Posted at 2:53 pm August 5, 2013
By Oak Ridge National Laboratory Leave a Comment

Mercury Cycle

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are learning more about the microbial processes
that convert elemental mercury into methylmercury. (Submitted image)

More forms of mercury can be converted to deadly methylmercury than previously thought, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Geoscience. The discovery provides scientists with another piece of the mercury puzzle, bringing them one step closer to understanding the challenges associated with mercury cleanup.

Earlier this year, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered two key genes that are essential for microbes to convert oxidized mercury to methylmercury, a neurotoxin that can penetrate skin and at high doses affect brain and muscle tissue, causing paralysis and brain damage.

The discovery of how methylmercury is formed answered a question that had stumped scientists for decades, and the findings published this week build on that breakthrough. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Science, Top Stories Tagged With: Alexander Johs, aquatic food chains, bacteria, Baohua Gu, Dwayne Elias, elemental mercury, genes, Haiyan Hu, Hui Lin, Liyuan Liang, mercury, mercury pollution, methylmercury, methylmercury contamination, microbes, microbial mercury methylation, microorganisms, Nature Geoscience, neurotoxin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Science, ORNL, Oxidation and Methylation of Dissolved Elemental Mercury by Anaerobic Bacteria, oxidized mercury, Rutgers University, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry of China, Stephen Tomanicek, toxin, U.S. Department of Energy, Wang Zheng, Xinbin Feng

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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