Disease relevance of phenylmercury

• The merG gene product is involved in phenylmercury resistance in Pseudomonas strain K-62 [1].
• When the merG gene in a compatible plasmid was transformed into the E. coli strain carrying pMU29, the high uptake of and high sensitivity to phenylmercury were almost completely restored to their original levels [1].
• One recombinant plasmid (pMRA17) inducibly encoded a typical broad-spectrum mercurial resistance, whereas the other recombinant plasmid (pMRB01) constitutively conferred hypersensitivity to phenylmercury in the absence of mercuric reductase activity [2].

High impact information on phenylmercury

• Between the merA and merD genes, an open reading frame encoding a 212 amino acid polypeptide was identified as the merB gene that determines the enzyme organomercurial lyase that cleaves the C--Hg bond of phenylmercury [3].
• The interactions of inorganic mercury Hg(II), methylmercury (MeHg(I)), ethylmercury (EtHg(I)), and phenylmercury (PhHg(I)) with DNA have been probed by capillary electrophoresis with on-line electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric detection (CE-ETAAS) in combination with circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy [4].
• Capillary electrophoretic separation of four mercury species (inorganic Hg(2+), methyl-, ethyl-, and phenylmercury) was achieved in less than 8 min with an electrolyte consisting of 150 mM 2-amino-2-methyl-propanol (AMP) at pH 11 [5].
• Escherichia coli cells bearing pMU29, which carries a deletion of the merG gene, took up significantly more phenylmercury than the bacteria with the intact plasmid pMRA17 [1].
• Deletion of the merG gene from the broad-spectrum mer operon of pMR26 had no effect on the inorganic mercury resistance phenotype, but rendered the bacterium more sensitive to phenylmercury than its isogenic wild-type strain [1].

Biological context of phenylmercury

• To investigate the individual role of MerT and MerP encoded by Pseudomonas K-62 pMR26 in the transport of phenylmercury, a series of mutants with a specific point mutation in merT and/or genetic deletion in merP were constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli XL1-Blue [6].

Anatomical context of phenylmercury

• Transport of phenylmercury across the cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli mediated by MerT and MerP was inhibited by NaCN and by cold temperatures [6].

Gene context of phenylmercury

• A hybrid mer operon consisting of the merR gene from pDU1358, a hybrid merA gene (determining mercuric reductase enzyme), and lacking the merB gene (determining phenylmercury lyase activity) was inducible by both phenylmercury and inorganic Hg2+ [7].
• A mutant form of pDU1358 merR missing the C-terminal 17 amino acids responded to inorganic Hg2+ but not to phenylmercury [7].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of phenylmercury

• Positive responses to phenylmercury (phenyl-Hg), a bactericidal agent in root fillings and in pharmaceutical preparations, were also noted in the oral lichen group but not in the control groups [8].
• Assay of phenylmercury salts in pharmaceutical products by high-performance liquid chromatography of the morpholinedithiocarbamate derivative [9].
• The thio-substituted RNA was selectively recovered by Affi-Gel 501 phenylmercury affinity chromatography [10].

References