MOLECULAR GENETIC BIOREPORTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

有毒物质存在的环境生物报告新方法 废物和环境污染是迫切需要的。 爆炸 分子生物学、遗传学和生物技术方面的知识， 开发新的环境生物报告的无与伦比的机会 技术. 在这项建议中，群体遗传学的方法，使用RAPD- PCR技术，将被开发来研究遗传结构， 阿肯色州河中的水生节肢动物生物报告物种- 水质极差的加州峡谷超级基金遗址 由于过去采矿和冶金业的重金属污染， 运营 这一办法将有助于查明阻碍 生物报告物种中的基因流动，这可能直接归因于 环境污染 分子遗传学方法，包括 差异显示- PCR，将用于识别特定的金属 响应基因（生物标志物）决定重金属的耐受性， 生物报告物种。 金属反应基因将被克隆，调控 序列鉴定，表征，并将此信息用于开发 重金属污染的分子遗传生物标志物 这两 群体遗传学和分子遗传学的方法，将提供 人口和个人的环境生物报告能力 水平 由于所选择的生物报告物物种花费其生命周期， 的确，在遗址的几代人中， 暴露的生物报道分子群体可以提供电流， 环境污染的历史记录。 这些用于环境生物报告的现代分子方法将 广泛适用于评估替代地点的重金属污染， 评估生物报告物种对替代类型的 污染

Novel approaches for environmental bioreporting of the presence of toxic wastes and environmental pollution are sorely needed. The explosion of knowledge in molecular biology, genetics, and biotechnology provides an unparalleled opportunity to develop new environmental bioreporting techniques. In this proposal, population genetic approaches, using RAPD- PCR technologies, will be developed to investigate the genetic structure of selected aquatic arthropod bioreporter species in the Arkansas River - California Gulch Superfund Site, where the water quality is extremely poor due to heavy metal contamination from past mining and metallurgical operations. This approach will permit identification of impediments to gene flow in the bioreporter species, which may be directly attributable to environmental pollution. Molecular genetic approaches, including differential display - PCR, will be used to identify specific metal responsive genes (biomarkers) which determine tolerance to heavy metals in the bioreporter species. Metal responsive genes will be cloned, regulatory sequences identified, characterized, and this information used to develop molecular genetic biomarkers of heavy metal pollution. These two approaches, population genetic and molecular genetic, will provide environmental bioreporting capability at the population and individual level. Since the selected bioreporter species spend their life cycles and indeed generations in the sites to be studies, analysis of the naturally exposed populations of bioreporters may provide a current as well as historical record of environmental contamination. These modern molecular approaches for environmental bioreporting will be widely applicable to assess heavy metal pollution at alternate sites and to assess bioreporter species genetic responses to alternate types of pollution.