Arsenic Phytosensors

描述（由申请人提供）：这个小型企业技术转移项目旨在开发砷的植物生物报告器，砷是一种广泛分布在环境中的致癌物，是超级基金站点最常见的两种污染物之一。目前，通常需要对土壤和水进行广泛的采样和实验室分析，以检测和监测受农药使用、采矿、冶炼和使用压力处理木材的建筑等活动影响的大片地区的砷。这种取样的费用和不便限制了砷造成的环境健康危害的定性和补救，表明迫切需要更具成本效益的方法。针对这一问题的一个跨学科解决方案是，在一种已知会过度积累砷的植物中，创造一种砷植物传感器，将对砷存在有反应的微生物基因与绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）报告结合起来。当用紫外光照射时，这种经过改造的植物在砷的存在下会发出绿色荧光，就像一个放大的传感器，将环境中的砷“信号”转换成可视波长。在构建砷植物传感器的初步研究中，已将大肠杆菌中砷启动子（ars）和抑制子（arsR）基因融合到GFP基因中，并发展了砷超富集蕨类植物的基因工程技术。在这项工作的基础上，在第一阶段，ars/arsR/GFP基因构建体将被插入砷超富集蕨类植物中，以开发可用于检测和清除环境砷的植物传感器。计划在第二阶段完成对这些工厂的测试和实地示范。该研究项目有望开发出创新的、具有成本效益的、实时的太阳能植物传感器来监测水和土壤质量，这些传感器可以提供高空间分辨率、远距离报告、随时扩展到大型处理区域，以及对政府、工业、商业和住宅物业中生物可利用砷的连续原位监测。新的植物传感器技术对客户的好处包括减少砷对环境健康造成的危害，并协助监测和清洁环境。该研究项目预计将导致一种植物的发展，这种植物可以提供土壤砷污染的视觉指示。基于植物的传感器将提供住宅和工业环境中土壤中砷的连续实时指示。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Technology Transfer project seeks to develop a plant bioreporter for arsenic, a carcinogen that is widely dispersed in the environment and is 1 of the 2 most common contaminants at Superfund sites. Currently, extensive sampling and laboratory analysis of soil and water is often required to detect and monitor arsenic over large areas affected by activities such as pesticide use, mining, smelting, and construction with pressure-treated wood. The expense and inconvenience of such sampling restricts characterization and remediation of environmental health hazards caused by arsenic, indicating an urgent need for more cost-effective approaches. An interdisciplinary solution to this problem is create an arsenic phytosensor that combines microbial genes responsive to the presence of arsenic, with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter, in a plant known to hyper accumulate arsenic. When illuminated with ultraviolet light, the engineered plant would fluoresce green in the presence of arsenic, acting as an amplifying transducer of the environmental arsenic "signal" into visual wavelengths. In preliminary research on creating an arsenic phytosensor, well-characterized arsenic promoter (ars) and repressor (arsR) genes from E. coli have been fused to the GFP gene, and techniques of genetically engineering arsenic- hyper accumulating fern plants have been developed. Building on this work, in Phase I ars/arsR/GFP gene constructs will be inserted in an arsenic hyper accumulating fern to develop phytosensors that can be used for detection as well as cleanup of environmental arsenic. Testing of the plants, and a field demonstration, are planned to be completed in Phase II. The research project is expected to lead to the development of innovative, cost-effective, real-time, solar-powered phytosensors to monitor water and soil quality, which could offer high spatial resolution, stand-off reporting, ready scaling to large treatment areas, and continuous in situ monitoring of bioavailable arsenic in government, industrial, commercial, and residential properties. Benefits to customers of the new phytosensor technology include reducing environmental health hazards posed by arsenic, and assisting efforts to monitor and clean the environment. The research project is expected to lead to the development of a plant that provides a visual indication of soil arsenic contamination. The plant-based sensor will provide continuous real-time indication of arsenic present in soils in residential and industrial settings.