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Application of Neutron Reflectivity for Studies of Biomolecular Structures and Functions at Interfaces
Structures and functions of cell membranes are of central importance in understanding processes such as cell signaling, chemotaxis, redox transformation, biofilm formation, and mineralization occurring at inte...
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Article
Oxidation and methylation of dissolved elemental mercury by anaerobic bacteria
Methylmercury is a neurotoxin that poses significant health risks to humans. Laboratory experiments suggest that the activity of methylating and non-methylating bacteria may together enhance the formation of m...
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Article
Open AccessStructure determination of the HgcAB complex using metagenome sequence data: insights into microbial mercury methylation
Bacteria and archaea possessing the hgcAB gene pair methylate inorganic mercury (Hg) to form highly toxic methylmercury. HgcA consists of a corrinoid binding domain and a transmembrane domain, and HgcB is a diclu...
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Article
Open AccessAssessing Microbial Communities Related to Mercury Transformations in Contaminated Streambank Soils
In nature, the bioaccumulative potent neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) is produced from inorganic mercury (Hg) predominantly by anaerobic microorganisms. Hg-contaminated soils are a potential source of MeHg due...
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Article
Open AccessInteraction of Soil Microbes with Organoclays and their Impact on the Immobilization of Hg under Aerobic Conditions
Immobilization of mercury (Hg) leaching from bank soils of East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) is considered part of remediation strategies to mitigate the amount of Hg entering the creek. Different approaches are c...
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Article
Open AccessEvaluation of engineered sorbents for the sorption of mercury from contaminated bank soils: a column study
As a global environmental pollutant, mercury (Hg) threatens our water resources and presents a substantial risk to human health. The rate and extent of immobilization of Hg2+ (hereafter, Hg) on engineered sorbent...
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Article
Light-independent phytoplankton degradation and detoxification of methylmercury in water
Phytoplankton serves as a key entry point for the trophic transfer and bioaccumulation of the neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic food webs. However, it is unclear whether and how phytoplankton itself m...
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Article
A hidden demethylation pathway removes mercury from rice plants and mitigates mercury flux to food chains
Dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) causes irreversible damage to human cognition and is mitigated by photolysis and microbial demethylation of MeHg. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been identified as a major die...
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Article
New Opportunities for Neutrons in Environmental and Biological Sciences
The use of neutron methods in environmental and biological sciences is rapidly emerging and accelerating with the development of new instruments at neutron user facilities. This article, based on a workshop he...
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Article
Open AccessThe Impact of Sorbent Amendments for Mercury Remediation on the Viability of Soil Microorganisms
Mercury (Hg) remediation across contaminated environments in the United States is an ongoing project. As part of the Hg cleanup strategy at East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC), located in Oak Ridge, TN, the deployme...
