New publication exploring uranium tolerance in soil-plant interactions

Colleagues from WP2 of RadoNorm published a recent article in the Journal of Environmental and Experimental Botany titled Uranium-tolerant soil bacteria protect Arabidopsis thaliana seedling growth from uranium toxicity. Authored by A. Galeone, F. Devime, V. Chapon, M. Merroun, C. Alban, S. Ravanel & J. Bourguignon, the study investigates the interactions between soil bacteria and plants in the context of uranium pollution. It was shown that uranium had very little effect on seed germination of Arabidopsis thaliana but induced severe root and shoot growth inhibition in the early stages of seedling development. Two particular soil bacterial strains, which are able to tolerate high concentrations of uranium, strongly reduced the toxic effects of the radionuclide. This protection was specific to uranium-tolerant soil bacteria and was due to their ability to sequester uranium, either by biosorption at the cell surface and/or by intracellular or extracellular biomineralization. Furthermore, the ability of soil bacteria to prevent uranium toxicity was dependent on metabolically driven biological processes. This study suggests that uranium-tolerant soil bacteria may be useful for phytostabilization strategies of uranium-contaminated soils and for limiting the entry of this toxic element into crops.

This and more papers from RadoNorm can be found on the website.