title: Arsenic biotransformation and volatilization in transgenic rice.
abstract: • Biotransformation of arsenic includes oxidation, reduction, methylation, and conversion to more complex organic arsenicals. Members of the class of arsenite (As(III)) S-adenosylmethyltransferase enzymes catalyze As(III) methylation to a variety of mono-, di-, and trimethylated species, some of which are less toxic than As(III) itself. However, no methyltransferase gene has been identified in plants. • Here, an arsM gene from the soil bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris was expressed in Japonica rice (Oryza sativa) cv Nipponbare, and the transgenic rice produced methylated arsenic species, which were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). • Both monomethylarsenate (MAs(V)) and dimethylarsenate (DMAs(V)) were detected in the roots and shoots of transgenic rice. After 12 d exposure to As(III), the transgenic rice gave off 10-fold greater volatile arsenicals. • The present study demonstrates that expression of an arsM gene in rice induces arsenic methylation and volatilization, theoretically providing a potential stratagem for phytoremediation.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 10085, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 10085, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li-Hong
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 10085, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gui-Lan
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 10085, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guo-Xin
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beichen West Road, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui-Lan
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beichen West Road, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Cai
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beichen West Road, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hong-Qing
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
authors.forename: Barry P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 10085, People's Republic of China.|Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong-Guan
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001711:Biotransformation; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008745:Methylation; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism*; D012241:Rhodopseudomonas / Q000235:genetics; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D001151:Arsenic