Enhanced endophyte:poplar system for remediation of organic contaminants

描述（由申请人提供）：三氯乙烯（TCE）是最常见的地下水污染物之一，是一种已知的肝毒素和致癌物质。它被工业和军事部门广泛用作金属部件的脱脂剂：根据有毒物质和疾病登记署的数据，美国有800多个超级基金场所受到三氯乙烯污染。白杨具有吸收和降解三氯乙烯的能力，由于其生长速度快、根系发达、土壤吸水率高、易于遗传操作等特点，是三氯乙烯和其他有机污染物植物修复的理想植物。虽然转基因白杨改善三氯乙烯降解已成功地进行了实地测试，但存在重大的监管和育种障碍，阻碍了这项技术的大规模使用。 最近，研究人员已经确定了生活在植物细胞内的内生菌，共生细菌和真菌的潜力，以分解有机污染物并提高非转基因植物的植物修复能力。与其他用于植物修复的微生物不同，内生菌生活在植物中，因此预计在现场会更好地持续存在，只要它们的植物伴侣存活，就会继续降解TCE。 Sharon Doty博士的实验室是研究内生菌以改善植物生长和健康的先驱之一，在该领域工作了十多年。最近，她的实验室从生长在被三氯乙烯和其他有机污染物污染的地方的白杨中分离出了内生菌。这些微生物中的一些在实验室中生长时表现出高速率的TCE降解。她的实验室目前正在开发将这些TCE降解内生菌接种到白杨中的方法，并将与Edenspace合作开展SBIR项目，以证明新的白杨/内生菌系统比对照白杨具有更好的TCE植物修复性能。Edenspace还将开发分子标记来识别特定的内生菌，以便在现场测试中证实微生物可以在白杨中持续数月。成功完成SBIR项目后，Edenspace将与领先的环境工程公司Geosyntec合作，将这项新技术引入修复行业。 公共卫生相关性：三氯乙烯（TCE）是一种已知的致癌物质，由于在军事和工业中的广泛使用，是一种重要的环境污染物。白杨树已被用作从受污染的地下水中去除三氯乙烯的天然方法。在这个项目中，来自Edenspace和华盛顿大学的科学家们将利用最近发现的微生物，这些微生物可以与白杨一起作用，大大提高TCE的去除率。开发这种改良的补救系统将减少人类和野生动物接触三氯乙烯。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Trichloroethylene (TCE), one of the most common groundwater pollutants, is a known hepatotoxin and carcinogen. It has been widely used by industry and the military as a degreaser for metal parts: according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, more than eight hundred Superfund sites in the United States are contaminated with TCE. Poplar, which can take up and degrade TCE, is an attractive plant for phytoremediation of TCE and other organic contaminants due to its high growth rate, extensive root system, high rates of water uptake from the soil, and ease of genetic manipulation. While transgenic poplar for improved TCE degradation has been successfully field tested, there are significant regulatory and breeding hurdles preventing the large-scale use of this technology. Recently researchers have determined the potential of endophytes, symbiotic bacteria and fungi that live within plant cells, to break down organic contaminants and improve the phytoremediation capability of non-transgenic plants. Unlike other microbes that have been used for phytoremediation, endophytes live within the plant and therefore are expected to persist better at the site, continuing to degrade TCE as long as their plant partner survives. The laboratory of Dr. Sharon Doty is one of the pioneers in studying endophytes to improve plant growth and health, having worked in this field for over a decade. Recently her laboratory has isolated endophytes from poplar growing in sites contaminated with TCE and other organic pollutants. Some of these microbes exhibit high rates of TCE degradation when grown in the lab. Her laboratory is currently developing methods to inoculate these TCE-degrading endophytes into poplar and will work with Edenspace on this SBIR project to demonstrate that the new poplar/endophyte systems have significantly better TCE phytoremediation performance than control poplar. Edenspace will also develop molecular markers to identify the specific endophytes, in order to confirm in a field test that the microbes can persist in the poplar for months. Upon successful completion of this SBIR project Edenspace will partner with Geosyntec, a leading environmental engineering firm, to introduce this novel technology to the remediation industry. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a known carcinogen and significant environmental contaminant as a result of to extensive use by the military and industry. Poplar trees have been used as a natural method to remove TCE from contaminated groundwater. In this project scientists from Edenspace and the University of Washington will utilize recently identified microbes that can act with the poplar to greatly increase TCE removal rates. Development of this improved remediation system will reduce exposure of humans and wildlife to TCE.