Procedure for the detection of mercury with the aid of microorganisms stimulated by mercury to provide increased bioluminescence.

摘要

SELECTIVITY C600 E. COLI (PGL4) FOR MERCURY. Luminescence RATE CONTROL NEGATIVE. It DESCRIBED A procedure in which can be used Microorganisms, EQUIPPED WITH VECTOR plasmid, PGL4, CONSTRUCTED BY MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES BIOLOGICAS, as biosensors for mercury compounds. THE BASE invention is the combination of a complex-GEN (MER-Operon) inducible by mercury ions SYSTEM WITH GEN LUCEFERASA (LUX) VIBRIO-harveyi BY MOLECULAR TECHNIQUE CRONACION. IN THIS CASE, THE PROVISION OF BOTH UNITS GEN is designed so that the MER-Operon PROMOTER upregulated CONTROLLED BY MERCURY COMPOUNDS ALSO THE GENES-transcribing the LUX. As a result, microorganisms transformed with plasmid PGL4 RESPOND TO INCREASING AMOUNTS OF MERCURY cations in the surrounding medium WITH AN INCREASE IN ITS ISSUED bioluminescence. THE PROCESS IS ABSOLUTELY specific MERCURIO, FAST AND HIGHLY SENSITIVE: THE LIMIT TESTED FOR mercury ions is approximately 0.2 PPB, IE 5 times smaller than the detection threshold of the most powerful methods established (ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY) THAT DETECT 1 to 5 PPB of Mercury and require a considerable amount of equipment. Another advantage of the invention is the possibility of determining measurement values ​​(bioluminescence SIGNALS ISSUED BY MICROORGANISMS TRANSFORMED BY plasmid PGLK4) without direct contact between the biosensor AND SIGNAL AMPLIFIER (APPARATUS bioluminescence) UNIT. THEREFORE, the method allows determination SIMPLE, CONTINUOUS IN-LINE critical concentrations of mercury.