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Botanic Metallomics of Mercury and Selenium: Current Understanding of Mercury-Selenium Antagonism in Plant with the Traditional and Advanced Technology

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Abstract

The antagonistic effect between mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) is conclusively established in animals and human beings in the past decades. However, the underlying mechanisms of the interactions between Hg and Se in plants, as well as the metabolism of Hg–Se compounds in crops are still far from being understood. The botanic metallomics of Hg and Se mainly focuses on the translocation, transformation, and metabolism of Hg and Se in the environmental and botanic systems employing metallomics methods. An adequate understanding of the biological behavior of Hg and Se in plant is beneficial for sequestration of Hg and Se in soil–plant systems with high Hg and Se contamination. It can also provide a molecular mechanistic basis for Se supplementation in Se-deficient areas. Here, the key developments in current understanding of Hg and Se interactions in plants are reviewed. The metabolism and antagonism of Hg and Se in various plants, as well as the advanced analytical methods commonly used in this field, are summarized and discussed. As suggested, plant Hg and Se uptake, metabolism, and antagonism can be taken into account for detoxification and remediation strategies for the reduction of Hg and Se in the food chain.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support was provided to JTZ and YXG by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21777162, U1432241). Many thanks to BL 4W1B and 1W1B in BSRF, and BL15U and BL14W in SSRF for the previous synchrotron radiation experiments support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, China

    Xu Bai, Hong Li, Jiating Zhao, Yu-Feng Li & Yuxi Gao

  2. College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, China

    Yunyun Li

  3. School of Environment and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Xujun Liang

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  1. Xu Bai
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  2. Yunyun Li
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  4. Hong Li
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Correspondence to Jiating Zhao.

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Bai, X., Li, Y., Liang, X. et al. Botanic Metallomics of Mercury and Selenium: Current Understanding of Mercury-Selenium Antagonism in Plant with the Traditional and Advanced Technology. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 102, 628–634 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02628-8

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