ElNFS1, a nitroreductase gene from Enterobacter ludwigii, confers enhanced detoxification and phytoremediation of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde in rice

  • Environ Pollut. 2022 Dec 1:314:120292. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120292.
Zhenjun Li  1 ,  Jianjie Gao  1 ,  Yongsheng Tian  1 ,  Bo Wang  1 ,  Jing Xu  1 ,  Xiaoyan Fu  1 ,  Hongjuan Han  1 ,  Lijuan Wang  1 ,  Wenhui Zhang  1 ,  Yu Wang  1 ,  Yongdong Deng  1 ,  Zehao Gong  1 ,  Rihe Peng  1 ,  Quanhong Yao  2
Affiliations
  • 1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Rd, Shanghai, 201106, PR China.
  • 2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Rd, Shanghai, 201106, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 36181935 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120292
Abstract

4-nitrobenzaldehyde (4-NBA) is a widely used chemical intermediate for industrial application and an important photodegradation product of chloramphenicol. This compound represents a substantial threat to human health and ecosystem due to its genotoxic and mutagenic effect. In this study, the 4-NBA detoxification by transgenic rice overexpressing a Bacterial nitroreductase gene, ElNFS1, from Enterobacter ludwigii were investigated. The cytosol-targeted ElNFS1 transgenic Plants were selected to comprehensively examine their physio-biochemical responses and phytoremediation potential to 4-NBA. Our results showed that the transgenic Plants exhibited strong tolerance to 4-NBA. Overexpression of ElNFS1 could significantly alleviate 4-NBA-induced damages of photosynthetic apparatus and Reactive Oxygen Species overproduction in transgenic Plants. The phytoremediation assay revealed that transgenic Plants could remove more 4-NBA from the medium than wild-type Plants. HPLC and LC-MS assays showed that 4-aminobenzaldehyde was found in the reductive products of 4-NBA. Altogether, the function of ElNFS1 during 4-NBA detoxification was characterized for the first time, which provides a strong theoretical support for the application potential of ElNFS1 transgenic Plants on the phytoremediation of 4-NBA.

Keywords
4-Nitrobenzaldehyde; Nitroreductase; Photosynthetic apparatus; Phytoremediation; ROS.
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