GM Poplar for Phytoremediating Contaminated Waters

Scientists have known that plants can be used for the treatment of environmental pollutants. They can act as solar-powered pump-and-treat systems, capable of extracting water-soluble contaminants from polluted soils and metabolize or store them afterwards in specialized tissues. The process is known as phytoremediation. Although plants can be used to remove organic pollutants from soils, the activity is often too slow to be of practical use. Scientists are hoping to speed up phytoremediation through the introduction of genes that are known to be involved in metabolism of pollutants.

By introducing the mammalian gene coding for cytochrome P450 2E1, a group of US researchers have developed transgenic poplar trees with enhanced phytoremediation capabilities for removing and degrading pollutants like trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride and carbon tetrachloride from soil and ground water. Most of these compounds, known as carcinogens or neurotoxins, are widely used in industries and found their way into groundwater because of improper disposal. The GM poplar trees were also found to be capable of removing air pollutants like vinyl chloride, chloroform and benzene, substances usually used in petroleum and plastic processing. Because of the concerns that the GM trees might get into natural forests, the authors of the study believe that transgenic poplars may be a good choice. Poplars are fast growing and can grow for several years without flowering, at which time they could be harvested to prevent seeds from generating.

Read more at http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=37313 The full paper published by PNAS is available at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0703276104v1