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Microbially mediated mercury detoxification in geothermal environments
Descriptive
TitleInfo
Title
Microbially mediated mercury detoxification in geothermal environments
SubTitle
interactions of aquificae with mercury, and evidence for phylogenetic niche conservatism in Yellowstone National Park hot springs
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Freedman
NamePart
(type = given)
Zachary
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Zachary Freedman
Role
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(authority = RULIB)
author
Name
(type = personal)
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(type = family)
Barkay
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(type = given)
Tamar
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Tamar Barkay
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
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(authority = RULIB)
chair
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(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Vetriani
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(type = given)
Costatino
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Costatino Vetriani
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Advisory Committee
Role
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internal member
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Haggblom
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(type = given)
Max
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Max Haggblom
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Dighton
NamePart
(type = given)
John
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John Dighton
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
internal member
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Reysenbach
NamePart
(type = given)
Anna-Louise
DisplayForm
Anna-Louise Reysenbach
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
outside member
Name
(type = personal)
NamePart
(type = family)
Boyd
NamePart
(type = given)
Eric
DisplayForm
Eric Boyd
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
outside member
Name
(type = corporate)
NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
degree grantor
Name
(type = corporate)
NamePart
Graduate School - New Brunswick
Role
RoleTerm
(authority = RULIB)
school
TypeOfResource
Text
Genre
(authority = marcgt)
theses
OriginInfo
DateCreated
(qualifier = exact)
2012
DateOther
(qualifier = exact);
(type = degree)
2012-01
Place
PlaceTerm
(type = code)
xx
Language
LanguageTerm
(authority = ISO639-2b);
(type = code)
eng
Abstract
(type = abstract)
Geothermal features are generated by leaching of minerals and metals as superheated water flows through cracks and fissures in Earth’s crust. As this water reaches the surface, chemical, pH, and temperature gradients are created that drive life in these environments. Geothermal environments are often enriched with toxic metals, e.g. mercury (Hg), the focus of this dissertation. Resistance to toxic Hg(II) is controlled by the enzyme mercuric reductase (MR), which catalyzes Hg(II) reduction to Hg(0). The gene encoding MR, merA, is part of the mercury resistance (mer) operon, which at minimum includes genes encoding transport, enzymatic, and regulatory functions. The primary objective of my research was to achieve better understanding of biotic transformations that modulate Hg toxicity in geothermal environments. I characterized Hg-resistance in Aquificae, dominant primary producers in geothermal environments, and investigated the diversity and distribution of Hg-resistance genes in geochemically diverse hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), and 23 assemblages on a global scale. Two strains of Aquificae were obtained; Hydrogenobaculum sp. Y04AAS1 (AAS1) and Hydrogenivirga sp. 128-5-R1-1 (R1-1). Genome sequencing revealed homologous sequences to merA, and alignment of putative Hg-resistance genes, MerA, MerT (Hg(II) transporter) and MerP (periplasmic scavenger), reveal homology with the mer system of Tn501. Characterization of mer in AAS1 and R1-1 include growth at Hg concentrations >10 μM Hg(II), loss of Hg(II) from the growth medium, validation of Hg(0) production, and MR enzyme activity; mer induction was not observed, suggesting lack of regulatory function. Microbial mat biomass was collected from Bijah and Succession Springs, YNP, and environmental merA sequences were obtained from GenBank to determine the ecological controls on Hg-resistant communities in YNP hot springs, and on a global scale. merA assemblages exhibited grouping within each community, and total sequence pool, as indicated by positive net relatedness index and nearest taxon index values, respectively. Cluster analyses reveal different clustering patterns of 16S rRNA and merA gene assemblages from YNP, suggesting unique controls on 16S rRNA and merA gene community structure. Meta-analysis of merA communities from 23 assemblages encompassing 782 environmental sequences reveal clustering based on sample location, suggesting that geography structures Hg-resistant communities.
Subject
(authority = RUETD)
Topic
Ecology and Evolution
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Mercury--Analysis
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Geothermal resources--United States
RelatedItem
(type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
(type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_3758
PhysicalDescription
Form
(authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
x, 124 p. : ill., maps
Note
(type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note
(type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note
(type = vita)
Includes vita
Note
(type = statement of responsibility)
by Zachary Freedman
Subject
(authority = lcsh/lcnaf)
Geographic
Yellowstone National Park--Environmental conditions
Identifier
(type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore10001600001.ETD.000064091
RelatedItem
(type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
(type = local)
rucore19991600001
Location
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(displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
NjNbRU
Identifier
(type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T37M06X2
Genre
(authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD doctoral
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Rights
RightsDeclaration
(ID = rulibRdec0006)
The author owns the copyright to this work.
RightsHolder
(type = personal)
Name
FamilyName
Freedman
GivenName
Zachary
Role
Copyright Holder
RightsEvent
Type
Permission or license
DateTime
(encoding = w3cdtf);
(qualifier = exact);
(point = start)
2011-12-28 12:12:17
AssociatedEntity
Name
Zachary Freedman
Role
Copyright holder
Affiliation
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
RightsEvent
DateTime
(encoding = w3cdtf);
(qualifier = exact);
(point = start)
2012-01-31
DateTime
(encoding = w3cdtf);
(qualifier = exact);
(point = end)
2013-01-30
Type
Embargo
Detail
Access to this PDF has been restricted at the author's request. It will be publicly available after January 30th, 2013.
Copyright
Status
Copyright protected
Availability
Status
Open
Reason
Permission or license
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11385856
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windows xp
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