Phytoremediation of Phenanthrene by Transgenic Plants Transformed with a Naphthalene Dioxygenase System from Pseudomonas

Genes from microbes for degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are seldom used to improve the ability of plants to remediate the pollution because the initiation of the microbial degradation of PAHs is catalyzed by a multienzyme system. In this study, for the first time we have successfully transferred the complex naphthalene dioxygenase system of Pseudomonas into Arabidopsis and rice, the model dicot and monocot plant. As in bacteria, all four genes of the naphthalene dioxygenase system can be simultaneously expressed and assembled to an active enzyme in transgenic plants. The naphthalene dioxygenase system can develop the capacity of plants to tolerate a high concentration of phenanthrene and metabolize phenanthrene in vivo. As a result, transgenic plants showed improved uptake of phenanthrene from the environment over wild-type plants. In addition, phenanthrene concentrations in shoots and roots of transgenic plants were generally lower than that of wild type plants. Transgenic plants with a naphthalene dioxygenase system bring the promise of an efficient and environmental-friendly technology for cleaning up PAHs contaminated soil and water.