Previously unrecognized pathway in plants and phytoplankton offers mercury-detox powers

Microcystis_aeruginosa

Source: Kristian Peters

Primary producers—including phytoplankton—possess a previously overlooked ability to internally break down and detoxify methylmercury. The demethylation pathway rapidly converts methylmercury into less toxic inorganic mercury, which is subsequently reduced to gaseous Hg⁰.

 Registered users, subscribers or members - SIGN IN

To continue reading this article

Membership

Included as a benefit

Members of Applied Microbiology International have unlimited access to The Microbiologist as a benefit of membership. Just sign in with your usual membership credentials.

I AM A MEMBER

Find out more about how to join.

 

Register

FREE

Want to read more before deciding on a subscription? It only takes a minute to sign up for a free account and you’ll get to enjoy more free content each month.

REGISTER

 

Subscribe

3.75 per month / £35 annually

Get unlimited access to The Microbiologist.

SUBSCRIBE