Arsenic Phytosensors

砷植物传感器

• 批准号: 7156255
• 负责人: MARK P ELLESS
• 金额: $ 9.49万
• 依托单位: EDENSPACE SYSTEMS CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-27 至 2008-03-26
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7156255
• 关键词: arsenic; bioengineering /biomedical engineering; biosensor device; biotransformation; carcinogens; fluorescence; green fluorescent proteins; hazardous substances; plant genetics; plant physiology; technology /technique development; waste disposal

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Technology Transfer project seeks to develop a plant bioreporter for arsenic, a carcinogen that is widely dispersed in the environment and is 1 of the 2 most common contaminants at Superfund sites. Currently, extensive sampling and laboratory analysis of soil and water is often required to detect and monitor arsenic over large areas affected by activities such as pesticide use, mining, smelting, and construction with pressure-treated wood. The expense and inconvenience of such sampling restricts characterization and remediation of environmental health hazards caused by arsenic, indicating an urgent need for more cost-effective approaches. An interdisciplinary solution to this problem is create an arsenic phytosensor that combines microbial genes responsive to the presence of arsenic, with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter, in a plant known to hyper accumulate arsenic. When illuminated with ultraviolet light, the engineered plant would fluoresce green in the presence of arsenic, acting as an amplifying transducer of the environmental arsenic "signal" into visual wavelengths. In preliminary research on creating an arsenic phytosensor, well-characterized arsenic promoter (ars) and repressor (arsR) genes from E. coli have been fused to the GFP gene, and techniques of genetically engineering arsenic- hyper accumulating fern plants have been developed. Building on this work, in Phase I ars/arsR/GFP gene constructs will be inserted in an arsenic hyper accumulating fern to develop phytosensors that can be used for detection as well as cleanup of environmental arsenic. Testing of the plants, and a field demonstration, are planned to be completed in Phase II. The research project is expected to lead to the development of innovative, cost-effective, real-time, solar-powered phytosensors to monitor water and soil quality, which could offer high spatial resolution, stand-off reporting, ready scaling to large treatment areas, and continuous in situ monitoring of bioavailable arsenic in government, industrial, commercial, and residential properties. Benefits to customers of the new phytosensor technology include reducing environmental health hazards posed by arsenic, and assisting efforts to monitor and clean the environment. The research project is expected to lead to the development of a plant that provides a visual indication of soil arsenic contamination. The plant-based sensor will provide continuous real-time indication of arsenic present in soils in residential and industrial settings.

描述（由申请人提供）：该小型企业技术转让项目旨在开发一种针对砷的植物生物报告器，砷是一种广泛分布在环境中的致癌物质，也是超级基金站点最常见的两种污染物之一。目前，通常需要对土壤和水进行广泛的采样和实验室分析，以检测和监测受杀虫剂使用、采矿、冶炼和使用压力处理木材进行建筑等活动影响的大面积砷。此类采样的费用和不便限制了砷引起的环境健康危害的表征和补救，这表明迫切需要更具成本效益的方法。解决这个问题的一个跨学科解决方案是创建一种砷植物传感器，将对砷存在有反应的微生物基因与绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）报告基因结合在已知会过量积累砷的植物中。当用紫外线照射时，工程植物会在砷存在的情况下发出绿色荧光，充当将环境砷“信号”放大到可见波长的传感器。在创建砷植物传感器的初步研究中，来自大肠杆菌的砷启动子（ars）和阻遏物（arsR）基因已与GFP基因融合，并开发了基因工程砷超积累蕨类植物的技术。在这项工作的基础上，第一阶段的 ars/arsR/GFP 基因构建体将被插入砷超积累蕨类植物中，以开发可用于检测和清除环境砷的植物传感器。工厂测试和现场演示计划在第二阶段完成。该研究项目预计将导致开发创新的、具有成本效益的、实时的太阳能植物传感器来监测水和土壤质量，这些传感器可以提供高空间分辨率、远程报告、随时扩展到大型处理区域以及对政府、工业、商业和住宅物业中的生物可利用砷进行连续原位监测。新植物传感器技术为客户带来的好处包括减少砷对环境健康的危害，并协助监测和清洁环境。该研究项目预计将开发出一种能够提供土壤砷污染视觉指示的植物。基于植物的传感器将提供住宅和工业环境土壤中砷含量的连续实时指示。