Distribution and function of prokaryotes involved in mercury methylation, demethylation, and reduction in the western North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

ABSTRACT: Methylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative neurotoxic heavy metal, substantially threatens environmental and human health. In natural environments, MeHg formation and degradation are primarily mediated by microorganisms containing hgcAB, merA, or merB genes. However, these genes have not been simultaneously analyzed in open-ocean samples. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and phylogeny of functional genes associated with mercury (Hg) methylation (hgcA and hgcB), demethylation (merB), and reduction (merA), as well as dissolved total Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations in the western North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (WNPSG) using metagenomic analysis. Although THg levels varied across sampling sites, MeHg concentrations consistently inc

SUBMITTER: Tada Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12874090 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature