The Combined Effect of Hg(II) Speciation, Thiol Metabolism, and Cell Physiology on Methylmercury Formation by Geobacter sulfurreducens.

The chemical and biological factors controlling microbial formation of methylmercury (MeHg) are widely studied separately, but the combined effects of these factors are largely unknown. We examined how the chemical speciation of divalent, inorganic mercury (Hg(II)), as controlled by low-molecular-mass thiols, and cell physiology govern MeHg formation by Geobacter sulfurreducens. We compared MeHg formation with and without addition of exogenous cysteine (Cys) to experimental assays with varying nutrient and bacterial metabolite concentrations. Cysteine additions initially (0-2 h) enhanced MeHg formation by two mechanisms: (i) altering the Hg(II) partitioning from the cellular to the dissolved phase and/or (ii) shifting the chemical speciation of dissolved Hg(II) in favor of the Hg(Cys)2 complex. Nutrient additions increased MeHg formation by enhancing cell metabolism. These two effects were, however, not additive since cysteine was largely metabolized to penicillamine (PEN) over time at a rate that increased with nutrient addition. These processes shifted the speciation of dissolved Hg(II) from complexes with relatively high availability, Hg(Cys)2, to complexes with lower availability, Hg(PEN)2, for methylation. This thiol conversion by the cells thereby contributed to stalled MeHg formation after 2-6 h Hg(II) exposure. Overall, our results showed a complex influence of thiol metabolism on microbial MeHg formation and suggest that the conversion of cysteine to penicillamine may partly suppress MeHg formation in cysteine-rich environments like natural biofilms.

Metabolic turnover of cysteine-related thiol compounds at environmentally relevant concentrations by Geobacter sulfurreducens.

Low-molecular-mass (LMM) thiol compounds are known to be important for many biological processes in various organisms but LMM thiols are understudied in anaerobic bacteria. In this work, we examined the production and turnover of nanomolar concentrations of LMM thiols with a chemical structure related to cysteine by the model iron-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens. Our results show that G. sulfurreducens tightly controls the production, excretion and intracellular concentration of thiols depending on cellular growth state and external conditions. The production and cellular export of endogenous cysteine was coupled to the extracellular supply of Fe(II), suggesting that cysteine excretion may play a role in cellular trafficking to iron proteins. Addition of excess exogenous cysteine resulted in a rapid and extensive conversion of cysteine to penicillamine by the cells. Experiments with added isotopically labeled cysteine confirmed that penicillamine was formed by a dimethylation of the C-3 atom of cysteine and not via indirect metabolic responses to cysteine exposure. This is the first report of de novo metabolic synthesis of this compound. Penicillamine formation increased with external exposure to cysteine but the compound did not accumulate intracellularly, which may suggest that it is part of G. sulfurreducens' metabolic strategy to maintain cysteine homeostasis. Our findings highlight and expand on processes mediating homeostasis of cysteine-like LMM thiols in strict anaerobic bacteria. The formation of penicillamine is particularly noteworthy and this compound warrants more attention in microbial metabolism studies.

Nutrient Inputs Stimulate Mercury Methylation by Syntrophs in a Subarctic Peatland.

Climate change dramatically impacts Arctic and subarctic regions, inducing shifts in wetland nutrient regimes as a consequence of thawing permafrost. Altered hydrological regimes may drive changes in the dynamics of microbial mercury (Hg) methylation and bioavailability. Important knowledge gaps remain on the contribution of specific microbial groups to methylmercury (MeHg) production in wetlands of various trophic status. Here, we measured aqueous chemistry, potential methylation rates (k meth ), volatile fatty acid (VFA) dynamics in peat-soil incubations, and genetic potential for Hg methylation across a groundwater-driven nutrient gradient in an interior Alaskan fen. We tested the hypotheses that (1) nutrient inputs will result in increased methylation potentials, and (2) syntrophic interactions contribute to methylation in subarctic wetlands. We observed that concentrations of nutrients, total Hg, and MeHg, abundance of hgcA genes, and rates of methylation in peat incubations (k meth ) were highest near the groundwater input and declined downgradient. hgcA sequences near the input were closely related to those from sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), methanogens, and syntrophs. Hg methylation in peat incubations collected near the input source (FPF2) were impacted by the addition of sulfate and some metabolic inhibitors while those down-gradient (FPF5) were not. Sulfate amendment to FPF2 incubations had higher k meth relative to unamended controls despite no effect on k meth from addition of the sulfate reduction inhibitor molybdate. The addition of the methanogenic inhibitor BES (25 mM) led to the accumulation of VFAs, but unlike molybdate, it did not affect Hg methylation rates. Rather, the concurrent additions of BES and molybdate significantly decreased k meth , suggesting a role for interactions between SRB and methanogens in Hg methylation. The reduction in k meth with combined addition of BES and molybdate, and accumulation of VFA in peat incubations containing BES, and a high abundance of syntroph-related hgcA sequences in peat metagenomes provide evidence for MeHg production by microorganisms growing in syntrophy. Collectively the results suggest that wetland nutrient regimes influence the activity of Hg methylating microorganisms and, consequently, Hg methylation rates. Our results provide key information about microbial Hg methylation and methylating communities under nutrient conditions that are expected to become more common as permafrost soils thaw.

The role of oxygen in stimulating methane production in wetlands.

Methane (CH4 ), a potent greenhouse gas, is the second most important greenhouse gas contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide (CO2 ). The biological emissions of CH4 from wetlands are a major uncertainty in CH4 budgets. Microbial methanogenesis by Archaea is an anaerobic process accounting for most biological CH4 production in nature, yet recent observations indicate that large emissions can originate from oxygenated or frequently oxygenated wetland soil layers. To determine how oxygen (O2 ) can stimulate CH4 emissions, we used incubations of Sphagnum peat to demonstrate that the temporary exposure of peat to O2 can increase CH4 yields up to 2000-fold during subsequent anoxic conditions relative to peat without O2 exposure. Geochemical (including ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, X-ray absorbance spectroscopy) and microbiome (16S rDNA amplicons, metagenomics) analyses of peat showed that higher CH4 yields of redox-oscillated peat were due to functional shifts in the peat microbiome arising during redox oscillation that enhanced peat carbon (C) degradation. Novosphingobium species with O2 -dependent aromatic oxygenase genes increased greatly in relative abundance during the oxygenation period in redox-oscillated peat compared to anoxic controls. Acidobacteria species were particularly important for anaerobic processing of peat C, including in the production of methanogenic substrates H2 and CO2 . Higher CO2 production during the anoxic phase of redox-oscillated peat stimulated hydrogenotrophic CH4 production by Methanobacterium species. The persistence of reduced iron (Fe(II)) during prolonged oxygenation in redox-oscillated peat may further enhance C degradation through abiotic mechanisms (e.g., Fenton reactions). The results indicate that specific functional shifts in the peat microbiome underlie O2 enhancement of CH4 production in acidic, Sphagnum-rich wetland soils. They also imply that understanding microbial dynamics spanning temporal and spatial redox transitions in peatlands is critical for constraining CH4 budgets; predicting feedbacks between climate change, hydrologic variability, and wetland CH4 emissions; and guiding wetland C management strategies.

Extracellular sulfite is protective against reactive oxygen species and antibiotic stress in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1.

In this study, we investigated the extracellular reactive sulfur species produced by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 during growth. The results showed that sulfite is the major extracellular sulfur metabolite released to the growth medium under both aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. Exogenous sulfite at physiological concentrations protected S. oneidensis MR-1 from hydrogen peroxide toxicity and enhanced tolerance to the beta-lactam antibiotics cefazolin, meropenem, doripenem and ertapenem. These findings suggest that the release of extracellular sulfite is a bacterial defence mechanism that plays a role in the mitigation of environmental stress.

Production of methylmercury by methanogens in mercury contaminated estuarine sediments.

Anaerobic bacteria are known to produce neurotoxic methylmercury [MeHg] when elemental mercury [Hg(0)] is provided as the sole mercury source. In this study, we examined the formation of MeHg in anaerobic incubations of sediment collected from the San Jacinto River estuary (Texas, USA) amended with aqueous Hg(0) to investigate the microbial communities involved in the conversion of Hg(0) to MeHg. The results show that the addition of the methanogen inhibitor 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) significantly decreased MeHg production. The mercury methylation gene, hgcA, was detected in these sediments using archaeal specific primers, and 16S rRNA sequencing showed that a member of the Methanosarcinaceae family of methanogens was active. These results suggest that methanogenic archaea play an underappreciated role in the production of MeHg in estuarine sediments contaminated with Hg(0).

Anaerobic guilds responsible for mercury methylation in boreal wetlands of varied trophic status serving as either a methylmercury source or sink.

Wetlands are common sites of active Hg methylation by anaerobic microbes; however, the amount of methylmercury produced varies greatly, as Hg methylation is dependent upon both the availability of Hg and the composition and activity of the microbial community involved. In this study, we identified the major microbial guilds responsible for Hg methylation along a trophic gradient composed of two sites and three different types of wetlands: a bog-fen peatland gradient and a black alder swamp, serving as net sources and a sink for methylmercury respectively. Iron-reducing bacteria in the Geobacteraceae were important Hg methylators across all wetlands and seasons examined, as evidenced by abundant 16S rRNA and hgcA transcripts clustering with this family. Molybdate inhibited Hg methylation more efficiently in the peatlands than in the swamp, suggesting an increasing role of sulfate-reducing bacteria and/or related syntrophs in the methylation of Hg with decreasing trophic status. Sulfate addition failed to increase Hg methylation rates in the peatlands, suggesting that SRBs/syntrophs were instead likely metabolizing alternative substrates such as syntrophic fermentation of organic compounds with methanogens. These results highlight the interconnectivity of anaerobic metabolism and importance of community dynamics on the methylation of Hg in wetlands with different trophic status.

Microbial Biosynthesis of Thiol Compounds: Implications for Speciation, Cellular Uptake, and Methylation of Hg(II).

Cellular uptake of inorganic divalent mercury (Hg(II)) is a key step in microbial formation of neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg), but the mechanisms remain largely unidentified. We show that the iron reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens produces and exports appreciable amounts of low molecular mass thiol (LMM-RSH) compounds reaching concentrations of about 100 nM in the assay medium. These compounds largely control the chemical speciation and bioavailability of Hg(II) by the formation of Hg(LMM-RS)2 complexes (primarily with cysteine) in assays without added thiols. By characterizing these effects, we show that the thermodynamic stability of Hg(II)-complexes is a principal controlling factor for Hg(II) methylation by this bacterium such that less stable complexes with mixed ligation involving LMM-RSH, OH-, and Cl- are methylated at higher rates than the more stable Hg(LMM-RS)2 complexes. The Hg(II) methylation rate across different Hg(LMM-RS)2 compounds is also influenced by the chemical structure of the complexes. In contrast to the current perception of microbial uptake of Hg, our results adhere to generalized theories for metal biouptake based on metal complexation with cell surface ligands and refine the mechanistic understanding of Hg(II) availability for microbial methylation.

Mercury methylating microbial communities of boreal forest soils.

The formation of the potent neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) is a microbially mediated process that has raised much concern because MeHg poses threats to wildlife and human health. Since boreal forest soils can be a source of MeHg in aquatic networks, it is crucial to understand the biogeochemical processes involved in the formation of this pollutant. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and the mercury methyltransferase, hgcA, combined with geochemical characterisation of soils, were used to determine the microbial populations contributing to MeHg formation in forest soils across Sweden. The hgcA sequences obtained were distributed among diverse clades, including Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Methanomicrobia, with Deltaproteobacteria, particularly Geobacteraceae, dominating the libraries across all soils examined. Our results also suggest that MeHg formation is also linked to the composition of non-mercury methylating bacterial communities, likely providing growth substrate (e.g. acetate) for the hgcA-carrying microorganisms responsible for the actual methylation process. While previous research focused on mercury methylating microbial communities of wetlands, this study provides some first insights into the diversity of mercury methylating microorganisms in boreal forest soils.

Methanogens and Iron-Reducing Bacteria: the Overlooked Members of Mercury-Methylating Microbial Communities in Boreal Lakes.

Methylmercury is a potent human neurotoxin which biomagnifies in aquatic food webs. Although anaerobic microorganisms containing the hgcA gene potentially mediate the formation of methylmercury in natural environments, the diversity of these mercury-methylating microbial communities remains largely unexplored. Previous studies have implicated sulfate-reducing bacteria as the main mercury methylators in aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, we characterized the diversity of mercury-methylating microbial communities of boreal lake sediments using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and hgcA genes. Our results show that in the lake sediments, Methanomicrobiales and Geobacteraceae also represent abundant members of the mercury-methylating communities. In fact, incubation experiments with a mercury isotopic tracer and molybdate revealed that only between 38% and 45% of mercury methylation was attributed to sulfate reduction. These results suggest that methanogens and iron-reducing bacteria may contribute to more than half of the mercury methylation in boreal lakes.IMPORTANCE Despite the global awareness that mercury, and methylmercury in particular, is a neurotoxin to which millions of people continue to be exposed, there are sizable gaps in the understanding of the processes and organisms involved in methylmercury formation in aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, we shed light on the diversity of the microorganisms responsible for methylmercury formation in boreal lake sediments. All the microorganisms identified are associated with the processing of organic matter in aquatic systems. Moreover, our results show that the well-known mercury-methylating sulfate-reducing bacteria constituted only a minor portion of the potential mercury methylators. In contrast, methanogens and iron-reducing bacteria were important contributors to methylmercury formation, highlighting their role in mercury cycling in the environment.

Adsorption of Methylmercury onto Geobacter bemidijensis Bem.

The anaerobic bacterium Geobacter bemidijensis Bem has the unique ability to both produce and degrade methylmercury (MeHg). While the adsorption of MeHg onto bacterial surfaces can affect the release of MeHg into aquatic environments as well as the uptake of MeHg for demethylation, the binding of MeHg to the bacterial envelope remains poorly understood. In this study, we quantified the adsorption of MeHg onto G. bemidijensis and applied X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to elucidate the mechanism of MeHg binding. The results showed MeHg adsorption onto G. bemidijensis cell surfaces was rapid and occurred via complexation to sulfhydryl functional groups. Titration experiments yielded cell surface sulfhydryl concentrations of 3.8 ± 0.2 µmol/g (wet cells). A one-site adsorption model with MeHg binding onto sulfhydryl sites provided excellent fits to adsorption isotherms conducted at different cell densities. The log K binding constant of MeHg onto the sulfhydryl sites was determined to be 10.5 ± 0.4. These findings provide a quantitative framework to describe MeHg binding onto bacterial cell surfaces and elucidate the importance of bacterial cells as possible carriers of adsorbed MeHg in natural aquatic systems.

Geobacteraceae are important members of mercury-methylating microbial communities of sediments impacted by waste water releases.

Microbial mercury (Hg) methylation in sediments can result in bioaccumulation of the neurotoxin methylmercury (MMHg) in aquatic food webs. Recently, the discovery of the gene hgcA, required for Hg methylation, revealed that the diversity of Hg methylators is much broader than previously thought. However, little is known about the identity of Hg-methylating microbial organisms and the environmental factors controlling their activity and distribution in lakes. Here, we combined high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and hgcA genes with the chemical characterization of sediments impacted by a waste water treatment plant that releases significant amounts of organic matter and iron. Our results highlight that the ferruginous geochemical conditions prevailing at 1-2 cm depth are conducive to MMHg formation and that the Hg-methylating guild is composed of iron and sulfur-transforming bacteria, syntrophs, and methanogens. Deltaproteobacteria, notably Geobacteraceae, dominated the hgcA carrying communities, while sulfate reducers constituted only a minor component, despite being considered the main Hg methylators in many anoxic aquatic environments. Because iron is widely applied in waste water treatment, the importance of Geobacteraceae for Hg methylation and the complexity of Hg-methylating communities reported here are likely to occur worldwide in sediments impacted by waste water treatment plant discharges and in iron-rich sediments in general.

Terrestrial discharges mediate trophic shifts and enhance methylmercury accumulation in estuarine biota.

The input of mercury (Hg) to ecosystems is estimated to have increased two- to fivefold during the industrial era, and Hg accumulates in aquatic biota as neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg). Escalating anthropogenic land use and climate change are expected to alter the input rates of terrestrial natural organic matter (NOM) and nutrients to aquatic ecosystems. For example, climate change has been projected to induce 10 to 50% runoff increases for large coastal regions globally. A major knowledge gap is the potential effects on MeHg exposure to biota following these ecosystem changes. We monitored the fate of five enriched Hg isotope tracers added to mesocosm scale estuarine model ecosystems subjected to varying loading rates of nutrients and terrestrial NOM. We demonstrate that increased terrestrial NOM input to the pelagic zone can enhance the MeHg bioaccumulation factor in zooplankton by a factor of 2 to 7 by inducing a shift in the pelagic food web from autotrophic to heterotrophic. The terrestrial NOM input also enhanced the retention of MeHg in the water column by up to a factor of 2, resulting in further increased MeHg exposure to pelagic biota. Using mercury mass balance calculations, we predict that MeHg concentration in zooplankton can increase by a factor of 3 to 6 in coastal areas following scenarios with 15 to 30% increased terrestrial runoff. The results demonstrate the importance of incorporating the impact of climate-induced changes in food web structure on MeHg bioaccumulation in future biogeochemical cycling models and risk assessments of Hg.

Intracellular Hg(0) Oxidation in Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132.

The disposal of elemental mercury (Hg(0)) wastes in mining and manufacturing areas has caused serious soil and groundwater contamination issues. Under anoxic conditions, certain anaerobic bacteria can oxidize dissolved elemental mercury and convert the oxidized Hg to neurotoxic methylmercury. In this study, we conducted experiments with the Hg-methylating bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132 to elucidate the role of cellular thiols in anaerobic Hg(0) oxidation. The concentrations of cell-surface and intracellular thiols were measured, and specific fractions of D. desulfuricans ND132 were examined for Hg(0) oxidation activity and analyzed with extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The experimental data indicate that intracellular thiol concentrations are approximately six times higher than those of the cell wall. Cells reacted with a thiol-blocking reagent were severely impaired in Hg(0) oxidation activity. Spheroplasts lacking cell walls rapidly oxidized Hg(0) to Hg(II), while cell wall fragments exhibited low reactivity toward Hg(0). EXAFS analysis of spheroplast samples revealed that multiple different forms of Hg-thiols are produced by the Hg(0) oxidation reaction and that the local coordination environment of the oxidized Hg changes with reaction time. The results of this study indicate that Hg(0) oxidation in D. desulfuricans ND132 is an intracellular process that occurs by reaction with thiol-containing molecules.

Fractionation of Mercury Stable Isotopes during Microbial Methylmercury Production by Iron- and Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.

The biological production of monomethylmercury (MeHg) in soils and sediments is an important factor controlling mercury (Hg) accumulation in aquatic and terrestrial food webs. In this study we examined the fractionation of Hg stable isotopes during Hg methylation in nongrowing cultures of the anaerobic bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132. Both organisms showed mass-dependent, but no mass-independent fractionation of Hg stable isotopes during Hg methylation. Despite differences in methylation rates, the two bacteria had similar Hg fractionation factors (αr/p = 1.0009 and 1.0011, respectively). Unexpectedly, δ(202)Hg values of MeHg for both organisms were 0.4‰ higher than the value of initial inorganic Hg after about 35% of inorganic Hg had been methylated. These results indicate that a (202)Hg-enriched pool of inorganic Hg was preferentially utilized as a substrate for methylation by these organisms, but that multiple intra- and/or extracellular pools supplied inorganic Hg for biological methylation. Understanding the controls of the Hg stable isotopic composition of microbially produced MeHg is important to identifying bioavailable Hg in natural systems and the interpretation of Hg stable isotopes in aquatic food webs.

Effect of thiols, zinc, and redox conditions on Hg uptake in Shewanella oneidensis.

Mercury uptake in bacteria represents a key first step in the production and accumulation of methylmercury in biota. Previous experiments with mercury methylating bacteria have shown that Hg uptake is enhanced by some thiols, in particular cysteine, and that it is an energy-dependent process through heavy metal transporters [Schaefer et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48, 3007]. In this study, we examine Hg uptake in the nonmethylating facultative aerobe, Shewanella oneidensis, under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Our results demonstrate similar characteristics of the Hg uptake system to those of the Hg methylating strains: (1) uptake is enhanced in the presence of some thiols but not others; (2) uptake is energy dependent as evidenced by inhibition by a protonophore, and (3) uptake is inhibited by high Zn(II) concentrations. Initial cellular uptake rates in S. oneidensis were remarkably similar under aerobic and fumarate-reducing conditions. These data support a similar Hg(II) uptake mechanism within the proteobacteria of accidental Hg(II) transport through heavy metal transporters with similar rates of uptake but differences in the ability to take up Hg bound to different thiols.

Effect of divalent metals on Hg(II) uptake and methylation by bacteria.

The production of methylmercury by some bacteria is a key first step in the accumulation and biomagnification of this toxic substance in aquatic food webs, a major human health concern. By direct measurement of cellular Hg(II) uptake in model iron and sulfate reducing bacteria, we have observed that specific trace metals, such as Zn(II) and Cd(II), inhibit uptake and methylation in these organisms, whereas other metals, such as Ni(II), Co(II), or Fe(II), do not. The inhibition of Hg(II) methylation by Zn(II) was competitive in nature and related to the concentration of inorganically complexed Zn(II) (Zn'). The inhibition of Hg(II) methylation was alleviated by decreasing the free Zn' concentration through complexation with nitrilotriacetic acid without altering the speciation of Hg(II). The inhibitory effect by Zn(II) was observed when either Hg-cysteine complexes or neutral HgCl2 dominated the speciation of Hg(II), demonstrating that both charged and neutral species are transported into the cytosol by an active rather than passive process. We propose that Hg(II) uptake is the result of its accidental uptake by metal transporter(s), possibly one effecting the transport of Zn(II).

Active transport, substrate specificity, and methylation of Hg(II) in anaerobic bacteria.

The formation of methylmercury (MeHg), which is biomagnified in aquatic food chains and poses a risk to human health, is effected by some iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria (FeRB and SRB) in anaerobic environments. However, very little is known regarding the mechanism of uptake of inorganic Hg by these organisms, in part because of the inherent difficulty in measuring the intracellular Hg concentration. By using the FeRB Geobacter sulfurreducens and the SRB Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132 as model organisms, we demonstrate that Hg(II) uptake occurs by active transport. We also establish that Hg(II) uptake by G. sulfurreducens is highly dependent on the characteristics of the thiols that bind Hg(II) in the external medium, with some thiols promoting uptake and methylation and others inhibiting both. The Hg(II) uptake system of D. desulfuricans has a higher affinity than that of G. sulfurreducens and promotes Hg methylation in the presence of stronger complexing thiols. We observed a tight coupling between Hg methylation and MeHg export from the cell, suggesting that these two processes may serve to avoid the build up and toxicity of cellular Hg. Our results bring up the question of whether cellular Hg uptake is specific for Hg(II) or accidental, occurring via some essential metal importer. Our data also point at Hg(II) complexation by thiols as an important factor controlling Hg methylation in anaerobic environments.

Analysis of mercuric reductase (merA) gene diversity in an anaerobic mercury-contaminated sediment enrichment.

The reduction of ionic mercury to elemental mercury by the mercuric reductase (MerA) enzyme plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of mercury in contaminated environments by partitioning mercury to the atmosphere. This activity, common in aerobic environments, has rarely been examined in anoxic sediments where production of highly toxic methylmercury occurs. Novel degenerate PCR primers were developed which span the known diversity of merA genes in Gram-negative bacteria and amplify a 285 bp fragment at the 3' end of merA. These primers were used to create a clone library and to analyse merA diversity in an anaerobic sediment enrichment collected from a mercury-contaminated site in the Meadowlands, New Jersey. A total of 174 sequences were analysed, representing 71 merA phylotypes and four novel MerA clades. This first examination of merA diversity in anoxic environments suggests an untapped resource for novel merA sequences.

Role of the bacterial organomercury lyase (MerB) in controlling methylmercury accumulation in mercury-contaminated natural waters.

The curious phenomenon of similar levels of methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in fish from contaminated and pristine environments may be explained by the observation that the proportion of total mercury (HgT) present as MeHg is inversely related to HgT in natural waters. We hypothesize that this "MeHg accumulation paradox" is explained by the quantitative induction of bacterial enzymes that are encoded by the mercury resistance (mer) operon, organomercury lyase (MerB), and mercuric reductase (MerA) by inorganic Hg (Hg[II]). We tested this hypothesis in two ecosystems in New Jersey: Berry's Creek in the Meadowlands (ML) and Pine Barren (PB) lakes. Across all sites, an inverse correlation (r2 = 0.80) between the concentration of HgT (ML, 113-4220 ng L(-1); PB, 0.3-5.4 ng L(-1)) and the proportion of HgT as MeHg (MeHg in ML and PB ranged from 0.08 to 1.6 and from 0.03 to 0.34 ng L(-1), respectively) was observed. The planktonic microbial community in Meadowlands surface waters exhibited adaptation to mercury, the presence of mer genes and mRNA transcripts, and high rates of reductive demethylation (k(deg) = 0.19 day(-1)). In contrast, the microbial community of PB was not adapted to mercury and demonstrated low rates of oxidative demethylation (k(deg) = 0.01 day(-1)). These results strongly support our hypothesis and show that the degradation of MeHg by mer-encoded enzymes by the water column microbiota of contaminated environments can significantly affect the amount of MeHg that is available for entry into the aquatic food web.