Team:JACOXH China/project/abstract
Abstract
Soil has always been important to humans, providing a resource that can be used for shelter and food production. Prevention of contaminated soil is closely related to health problems in soil-plant-animal-human system. Here, we designed a "walking" biological platform for the detection and remediation of mercury contaminated soil. Multifunctional engineering bacteria were cultured, with MerR-dependent hypersensitive switch, mercury monitor, and mercury stabilizer. Once mercury ions are found in the soil, multifunctional engineering bacteria scattered in the soil can be activated, releasing chromogenic protein and stabilizing mercury ions in the form of HgS with low toxicity. Moreover, considering engineering bacteria move slowly in the soil and is greatly affected by the environment, we choose earthworm as the walking carrier. The engineering bacteria will be reproduced in the earthworm body and move through soil followed with the earthworm to monitor and remedy mercury contaminated soil movably.