Poster: Phytoremediation

Abs # 989: Evidence of phytoremediation: comparative gene expression in a plant’s response to benzo[a]pyrene.

Presenter:	Irikura, Beth , irikura@hawaii.edu
Authors	Irikura, Beth  (A)   Pugh, Rujunko  (A)   Denery, Judith  (A)   Taite, Manning  (A)   Busto, Jennifer  (A)   Li, QingXiao  (A)   Kumagai, Monto  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): University of Hawaii

One of the unanswered questions in phytoremediation is exactly what role the plant plays in the removal of pollutants from the environment. Numerous studies have shown that chemicals disappear from planted soils at a faster rate than from unplanted soils, and that certain plants are associated with higher rates of removal. Whether this is due to plant-microbe communication, physical changes caused by the plant roots (aeration, water or nutrient flow, or root exudates), or some other mechanism is uncertain. This study attempts to track changes in gene expression in plant roots exposed to a representative hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene), in order to identify biochemical changes indicating that the plant does or does not participate in the removal of toxicants. Arabidopsis thaliana was chosen because of the availability of specific microarrays, and also because a previous study showed that certain members of the Brassicaceae were associated with a high rate of benzo[a]pyrene removal in soil (Liste et al., 2000). Seeds were sown on sterile Murashige-Skoog media, some spiked with benzo[a]pyrene, and grown for 3-4 weeks in magenta boxes to minimize microbial influence and loss of benzo[a]pyrene by evaporation or leaching. Extracts of total RNA from the roots of control and experimental plants were analyzed on Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays. Additional chemical analyses were performed on plant parts and media, in order to trace the fate of the benzo[a]pyrene. Reference: H-H Liste and M Alexander, Chemosphere 40 (2000):7-10.