biostudies-literatureUnknown3Felske AD<h4>Background</h4>Bacterial mercury resistance is based on enzymatic reduction of ionic mercury to elemental mercury and has recently been demonstrated to be applicable for industrial wastewater clean-up. The long-term monitoring of such biocatalyser systems requires a cultivation independent functional community profiling method targeting the key enzyme of the process, the merA gene coding for the mercuric reductase. We report on the development of a profiling method for merA and its application to monitor changes in the functional diversity of the biofilm community of a technical scale biocatalyzer over 8 months of on-site operation.<h4>Results</h4>Based on an alignment of 30 merA sequences from Gram negative bacteria, conserved primers were designed for amplification of merA fragments BMC microbiology22https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC270059biostudies-literatureFunctional profiling of mercuric reductase (mer A) genes in biofilm communities of a technical scale biocatalyzer.PMC270059von Canstein HFehr WWagner-Dobler IPauling BVFelske ADfalseFunctional profiling of mercuric reductase (mer A) genes in biofilm communities of a technical scale biocatalyzer.<h4>Background</h4>Bacterial mercury resistance is based on enzymatic reduction of ionic mercury to elemental mercury and has recently been demonstrated to be applicable for industrial wastewater clean-up. The long-term monitoring of such biocatalyser systems requires a cultivation independent functional community profiling method targeting the key enzyme of the process, the merA gene coding for the mercuric reductase. We report on the development of a profiling method for merA and its application to monitor changes in the functional diversity of the biofilm community of a technical scale biocatalyzer over 8 months of on-site operation.<h4>Results</h4>Based on an alignment of 30 merA sequences from Gram negative bacteria, conserved primers were designed for amplification of merA fragments 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z2003 Oct2025-05-29T21:53:45.359Z2019-03-27T00:35:59ZS-EPMC2700591457783910.1186/1471-2180-3-22