Heavy metals are natural constituents of the environment, but indiscriminate use for human purposes has altered their geochemical cycles and biochemical balance. This results in excess release of heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc etc. into natural resources like the soil and aquatic environments. Prolonged exposure and higher accumulation of such heavy metals can have deleterious health effects on human life and aquatic biota. The role of microorganisms and plants in biotransformation of heavy metals into nontoxic forms is well-documented, and understanding the molecular mechanism of metal accumulation has numerous biotechnological implications for bioremediation of OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 2190 metal-contaminated sites. In view of this, the present review investigates the abilities of microorganisms and plants in terms of tolerance and degradation of heavy metals. Also, advances in bioremediation technologies and strategies to explore these immense and valuable biological resources for bioremediation are discussed. An assessment of the current status of technology deployment and suggestions for future bioremediation research has also been included. Finally, there is a discussion of the genetic and molecular basis of metal tolerance in microbes, with special reference to the genomics of heavy metal accumulator plants and the identification of functional genes involved in tolerance and detoxification.
International audienceSaline soils are a major issue for agriculture because salt turns agronomically useful lands into unproductive areas. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that approximately 20 % of agricultural land and 50 % of cropland in the world is salt-stressed. Soil salinisation is reducing the area that can be used for agriculture by 1–2 % every year, hitting hardest in the arid and semi-arid regions. Salinity decreases the yield of many crops because salt inhibits plant photosynthesis, protein synthesis and lipid metabolism. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), beneficial bacteria that live in the plant root zone named the rhizosphere, is one of the solutions to solve this issue. Indeed rhizobacteria counteract osmotic stress and help plant growth. This article reviews the benefits of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria for plants growing in saline soils. The major points are (1) plants treated with rhizobacteria have better root and shoot growth, nutrient uptake, hydration, chlorophyll content, and resistance to diseases; (2) stress tolerance can be explained by nutrient mobilisation and biocontrol of phytopathogens in the rhizosphere and by production of phytohormones and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase; (3) rhizobacteria favour the circulation of plant nutrients in the rhizosphere; (4) rhizobacteria favour osmolyte accumulation in plants; (5) plants inoculated with rhizobacteria have higher K+ ion concentration and, in turn, a higher K+/Na+ ratio that favour salinity tolerance; and (6) rhizobacteria induce plant synthesis of antioxidative enzymes that degrade reactive oxygen species generated upon salt shock
Membrane biofouling is widely acknowledged as the most frequent adverse event in wastewater treatment systems resulting in significant loss of treatment efficiency and economy. Different strategies including physical cleaning and use of antimicrobial chemicals or antibiotics have been tried for reducing membrane biofouling. Such traditional practices are aimed to eradicate biofilms or kill the bacteria involved, but the greater efficacy in membrane performance would be achieved by inhibiting biofouling without interfering with bacterial growth. As a result, the search for environmental friendly non-antibiotic antifouling strategies has received much greater attention among scientific community. The use of quorum quenching natural compounds and enzymes will be a potential approach for control of membrane biofouling. This approach has previously proven useful in diseases and membrane biofouling control by triggering the expression of desired phenotypes. In view of this, the present review is provided to give the updated information on quorum quenching compounds and elucidate the significance of quorum sensing inhibition in control of membrane biofouling.
The costs associated with soil salinity are potentially enormous and the effects of salinity may impact heavily on agriculture, biodiversity and the environment. As the saline areas under agriculture are increasing every year across the globe, it is of much public concern. Agricultural crops and soil microorganisms are affected with salinity. As Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been reported to be contributing to the plant health, the osmotolerance mechanisms of these PGPRs are of importance. Pseudomonas fluorescens MSP-393 is a proven biocontrol agent for many of the crops grown in saline soils of coastal ecosystem. Studies revealed that the root colonization potential of the strain was not hampered with higher salinity in soil. As a means of salt tolerance, the strain de novo -synthesized, the osmolytes, Ala, Gly, Glu, Ser, Thr, and Asp in their cytosol. To understand the mechanism of salt tolerance, the proteome analysis of the bacteria was carried out employing 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF. Peptide mass fingerprinting and in silico investigation revealed the up regulation of many of salt regulated proteins. It could be ascertained that the osmotolerance mechanisms of MSP-393 viz. de novo synthesis of osmolytes and over production of salt stress proteins effectively nullified the detrimental effects of high osmolarity. MSP-393 could serve as a suitable bioinoculant for crops grown in saline soils.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.