Mercury(Hg) is a toxic heavy metal with its biogeochemical cycling in the ocean depending on the type and behavior of the oceanic microalgae.The present work aimed to evaluate bioaccumulation and transformation of Hg ...Mercury(Hg) is a toxic heavy metal with its biogeochemical cycling in the ocean depending on the type and behavior of the oceanic microalgae.The present work aimed to evaluate bioaccumulation and transformation of Hg by Phaeodactylum tricornutum,a typical unicellular diatom,when exposed to the extremely high level of Hg in order to understand the possible mechanisms of acute stress response.P.tricornutum can accumulate Hg(its bioaccumulation factor is at 104 level),and the 96 h EC 50 was estimated to be 145μg L-1.The amounts of surface-bound Hg being about 1.2 to 4.8 times higher than those of intracellular Hg under exposure to HgCl 2(from 20 to 120μg L-1 concentrations) suggested that the cell wall of P.tricornutum is an important "fence" towards Hg.After entering the P.tricornutum cell,Hg underwent transformation in its chemical form via interactions with high molecular weight sulfur-containing proteins(accounting for 68% of the intracellular Hg),and glutathione as well as the induced phytochelatins(PCs)(24% Hg) which alleviated the toxicity of HgCl2.In addition,the existence of organic ligands greatly influenced the uptake and transformation behavior of P.tricornutum towards HgCl2,especially in the case of cysteine(Cys),which increased the uptake of Hg,but alleviated the toxicity of Hg towards P.tricornutum due to the fact that Cys is an important precursor for the synthesis of PCs inside the cell.The uptake process of Hg by P.tricornutum was in agreement with the Freundlich isotherm,suggesting a typical heterogeneous sorption process.More importantly,we observed the conversion of HgCl2 into methylmercury inside the P.tricornutum cells and its release into the culture solution using HPLC/CVG-AFS and GC-MS,although the mechanism needs to be further investigated.展开更多
A bstract Cadmium(Cd) is one of the most common and widespread heavy metals in the environment. Cd has adverse effects on photosynthesis that are countered by photosystem I(PSI) and photosystem II(PSII); however, the ...A bstract Cadmium(Cd) is one of the most common and widespread heavy metals in the environment. Cd has adverse effects on photosynthesis that are countered by photosystem I(PSI) and photosystem II(PSII); however, the protective responses of these photosystems to heavy metal stress remain unclear. Using the model diatom P haeodactylum tricornutum, a biological indicator that is widely used to assess the impact of environmental toxins, we simultaneously measured the effects of Cd on PSI and PSII and examined the levels of pigments in response to high light treatments before and after Cd exposure. Cd significantly reduced the quantum yield and electron transport rates of PSI and PSII. The quantum yield of non-photochemical energy dissipation in PSI due to donor side limitation increased faster than the quantum yield due to acceptor side limitation. The Cd treatment activated the P. tricornutum xanthophyll cycle under artificial light conditions, as indicated by an increased diatoxanthin content. Xanthophyll is important for photoprotection; therefore, the accumulation of diatoxanthin may down-regulate PSII activities to reduce oxidative damage. Together, our results suggest that the rapid reduction in PSII activities following Cd exposure is an adaptive response to heavy metal stress that reflects the variable exposure to external stressors in the native P. tricornutum environment.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB421605)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21035006)
文摘Mercury(Hg) is a toxic heavy metal with its biogeochemical cycling in the ocean depending on the type and behavior of the oceanic microalgae.The present work aimed to evaluate bioaccumulation and transformation of Hg by Phaeodactylum tricornutum,a typical unicellular diatom,when exposed to the extremely high level of Hg in order to understand the possible mechanisms of acute stress response.P.tricornutum can accumulate Hg(its bioaccumulation factor is at 104 level),and the 96 h EC 50 was estimated to be 145μg L-1.The amounts of surface-bound Hg being about 1.2 to 4.8 times higher than those of intracellular Hg under exposure to HgCl 2(from 20 to 120μg L-1 concentrations) suggested that the cell wall of P.tricornutum is an important "fence" towards Hg.After entering the P.tricornutum cell,Hg underwent transformation in its chemical form via interactions with high molecular weight sulfur-containing proteins(accounting for 68% of the intracellular Hg),and glutathione as well as the induced phytochelatins(PCs)(24% Hg) which alleviated the toxicity of HgCl2.In addition,the existence of organic ligands greatly influenced the uptake and transformation behavior of P.tricornutum towards HgCl2,especially in the case of cysteine(Cys),which increased the uptake of Hg,but alleviated the toxicity of Hg towards P.tricornutum due to the fact that Cys is an important precursor for the synthesis of PCs inside the cell.The uptake process of Hg by P.tricornutum was in agreement with the Freundlich isotherm,suggesting a typical heterogeneous sorption process.More importantly,we observed the conversion of HgCl2 into methylmercury inside the P.tricornutum cells and its release into the culture solution using HPLC/CVG-AFS and GC-MS,although the mechanism needs to be further investigated.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41506172)the International S&T Cooperation Program of China(No.2015DFG32160)
文摘A bstract Cadmium(Cd) is one of the most common and widespread heavy metals in the environment. Cd has adverse effects on photosynthesis that are countered by photosystem I(PSI) and photosystem II(PSII); however, the protective responses of these photosystems to heavy metal stress remain unclear. Using the model diatom P haeodactylum tricornutum, a biological indicator that is widely used to assess the impact of environmental toxins, we simultaneously measured the effects of Cd on PSI and PSII and examined the levels of pigments in response to high light treatments before and after Cd exposure. Cd significantly reduced the quantum yield and electron transport rates of PSI and PSII. The quantum yield of non-photochemical energy dissipation in PSI due to donor side limitation increased faster than the quantum yield due to acceptor side limitation. The Cd treatment activated the P. tricornutum xanthophyll cycle under artificial light conditions, as indicated by an increased diatoxanthin content. Xanthophyll is important for photoprotection; therefore, the accumulation of diatoxanthin may down-regulate PSII activities to reduce oxidative damage. Together, our results suggest that the rapid reduction in PSII activities following Cd exposure is an adaptive response to heavy metal stress that reflects the variable exposure to external stressors in the native P. tricornutum environment.
