Integrated assessment of mercury-tolerant plant-associated bacteria from a chlor-alkali site identifies candidates for bioaugmentation
Abstract
A C T Mercury (Hg)-contaminated environments harbour microorganisms with traits that may be useful for plantassisted remediation, but high Hg tolerance alone may not identify the most suitable strains for inoculation. In this study, plant-associated bacteria isolated from a chlor-alkali site were evaluated through phenotypic screening, whole-genome analysis, genome-scale metabolic modelling, and willow inoculation assays. Fifty-one Hg-tolerant isolates were recovered, of which 16 were selected for detailed characterization. All selected isolates displayed at least one plant growth-promoting trait, including indole-3-acetic acid production, siderophore production, or phosphate solubilization. Pseudomonas canadensis UFC_B020 and Pseudomonas umsongensis UFC_B021 grew at 200 µM Hg, the highest concentration tested. Genome-based analyses identified putative functions related to metal transport, membrane efflux, oxidative stress responses and plant-beneficial metabolism, while community-scale modelling predicted potential metabolite exchanges within three selected bacterial consortia. In willow inoculation assays, consortium 1 increased root projected area by 5.7% relative to the uninoculated control. The strongest root response was therefore associated with a different consortium from that containing the two isolates with the highest Hg tolerance, highlighting the value of considering both Hg tolerance and plant responses in candidate selection. Together, these results support an integrated strategy combining Hg tolerance, plant growth-promoting traits, genome-based functional information and consortium performance to prioritize site-derived bacteria for subsequent bioaugmentation studies.
Related
- Integrated Ovarian circRNA, miRNA and mRNA Profiling Identifies Candidate ceRNA Relationships Associated with Late-Laying and Nesting Stages in Wanxi White Geese
- Integrated transcriptomic analysis identifies Paternally Expressed Gene 10 as a novel candidate biomarker associated with aggressive features in liposarcoma
- Integrated bioinformatics analysis identifies an immune-related gene signature associated with non-obstructive azoospermia
- Integrated single-cell and metabolomic profiling identifies ovarian metabolic differences and endothelial heterogeneity associated with litter-size variation in Hu sheep.
- Transcriptome of apple cv. Ametyst in Rvi6-effective and Rvi6-breaking Venturia inaequalis interactions identifies defense candidates
BibTeX
@article{meyer2026integrated,
title = {{Integrated assessment of mercury-tolerant plant-associated bacteria from a chlor-alkali site identifies candidates for bioaugmentation}},
author = {Lorraine Meyer and Jun Zhou and Stéphane Pfendler and Akanksha Mishra and Lila Otero-Gonzalez and Marta Franco-Benito and Sara Gil-Guerrero and Alexandre Meunier and Didier Hocquet and Stéphane Guyot and Nicolas Capelli and Michel Chalot},
journal = {Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120984},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05851683v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrated assessment of mercury-tolerant plant-associated bacteria from a chlor-alkali site identifies candidates for bioaugmentation
AU - Lorraine Meyer
AU - Jun Zhou
AU - Stéphane Pfendler
AU - Akanksha Mishra
AU - Lila Otero-Gonzalez
AU - Marta Franco-Benito
AU - Sara Gil-Guerrero
AU - Alexandre Meunier
AU - Didier Hocquet
AU - Stéphane Guyot
AU - Nicolas Capelli
AU - Michel Chalot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
DO - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120984
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05851683v1
AB - A C T Mercury (Hg)-contaminated environments harbour microorganisms with traits that may be useful for plantassisted remediation, but high Hg tolerance alone may not identify the most suitable strains for inoculation. In this study, plant-associated bacteria isolated from a chlor-alkali site were evaluated through phenotypic screening, whole-genome analysis, genome-scale metabolic modelling, and willow inoculation assays. Fifty-one Hg-tolerant isolates were recovered, of which 16 were selected for detailed characterization. All selected isolates displayed at least one plant growth-promoting trait, including indole-3-acetic acid production, siderophore production, or phosphate solubilization. Pseudomonas canadensis UFC_B020 and Pseudomonas umsongensis UFC_B021 grew at 200 µM Hg, the highest concentration tested. Genome-based analyses identified putative functions related to metal transport, membrane efflux, oxidative stress responses and plant-beneficial metabolism, while community-scale modelling predicted potential metabolite exchanges within three selected bacterial consortia. In willow inoculation assays, consortium 1 increased root projected area by 5.7% relative to the uninoculated control. The strongest root response was therefore associated with a different consortium from that containing the two isolates with the highest Hg tolerance, highlighting the value of considering both Hg tolerance and plant responses in candidate selection. Together, these results support an integrated strategy combining Hg tolerance, plant growth-promoting traits, genome-based functional information and consortium performance to prioritize site-derived bacteria for subsequent bioaugmentation studies.
SN - 0147-6513
SN - 1090-2414
ER -