Genetic engineering of bacteria and their potential for Hg2+ bioremediation

Ion exchange or biosorptive processes for metalremoval generally lack specificity in metal bindingand are sensitive to ambient conditions, e.g. pH,ionic strength and the presence of metal chelators. Inthis study, cells of a genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain, JM109, which expressesmetallothionein and a Hg2+ transport system afterinduction were evaluated for their selectivity forHg2+ accumulation in the presence of sodium,magnesium, or cadmium ions and their sensitivity to pHor the presence of metal chelators during Hg2+bioaccumulation. The genetically engineered E.coli cells in suspension accumulated Hg2+effectively at low concentrations (0-20 µM) overa broad range of pH (3 to 11). The presence of 400 mMsodium chloride, 200 mM magnesium chloride, or100 µM cadmium ions did not have a significanteffect on the bioaccumulation of 5 µm Hg2+,indicating that this process is not sensitive to highionic strength and is highly selective against sodium,magnesium, or cadmium ions. Metal chelators usuallyinterfere with ion exchange or biosorptive processes.However, two common metal chelators, EDTA and citrate,had no significant effect on Hg2+ bioaccumulationby the genetically engineered strain. These resultssuggest that this E. coli strain could be usedfor selective removal of Hg2+ from waste water orfrom contaminated solutions which are resistant tocommon treatments. A second potential applicationwould be to remove Hg2+ from Hg2+-contaminated soil, sediment, or particulates bywashing them with a Hg2+ chelator andregenerating the chelator by passing the solutionthrough a reactor containing the strain.