Field Trial of Transgenic Indian Mustard Plants Shows Enhanced Phytoremediation of Selenium-Contaminated Sediment

Three transgenic Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] lines were tested under field conditions for their ability to remove selenium (Se) from Se- and boron-contaminated saline sediment. The transgenic lines overexpressed genes encoding the enzymes adenosine triphosphate sulfurylase (APS), γ-...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2005-03, Vol.39 (6), p.1771-1777
Main Authors: Bañuelos, Gary, Terry, Norman, LeDuc, Danika L, Pilon-Smits, Elizabeth A. H, Mackey, Bruce
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
ATP
Biodegradation, Environmental
Biological and medical sciences
Biomass
Bioremediation
Biotechnology
Brassica juncea
Chemical elements
Decontamination. Miscellaneous
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Environment and pollution
Exact sciences and technology
Field study
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects
Miscellaneous
Mustard Plant - genetics
Mustard Plant - physiology
Plants, Genetically Modified
Pollution
Pollution, environment geology
Selenium - isolation & purification
Selenium - pharmacokinetics
Soil and sediments pollution
Soil contamination
Soil Pollutants - isolation & purification
Soil Pollutants - pharmacokinetics
Transgenic plants
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Three transgenic Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] lines were tested under field conditions for their ability to remove selenium (Se) from Se- and boron-contaminated saline sediment. The transgenic lines overexpressed genes encoding the enzymes adenosine triphosphate sulfurylase (APS), γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase (ECS), and glutathione synthetase (GS), respectively. The APS, ECS, and GS transgenic plants accumulated 4.3, 2.8, and 2.3-fold more Se in their leaves than wild type, respectively (P < 0.05). GS plants significantly tolerated the contaminated soil better than wild type, attaining an aboveground biomass/area almost 80% of that of GS plants grown on clean soil, compared to 50% for wild type plants. This is the first report showing that plants genetically engineered for phytoremediation can perform successfully under field conditions.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es049035f