2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Study on detoxification of inorganic arsenic by methylation using arsenic methyltransferase
| Project/Area Number |
16K00589
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Environmental engineering and reduction of environmental burden
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| Research Institution | University of Miyazaki |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
塩盛 弘一郎 宮崎大学, 工学部, 教授 (80235506)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | ヒ素の無毒化 / 酵素の固定化 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This study aimed to facilitate more efficient arsenic detoxification by methylation of inorganic arsenic utilizing microbial functions. Recombinant E.coli were transformed to express arsenic methyltransferase, and the methylation of inorganic arsenic was investigated using the enzyme extracted from those strains. To ensure continuous methylation while maintaining enzyme activity, the extracted enzyme was immobilized onto microcapsules to perform methylation of inorganic arsenic. As a result, it was possible to convert inorganic arsenic into methylated organic arsenic with low toxicity.
Future studies must focus on increasing the residual enzymatic activity and thus elevating the yield of organic arsenic compounds by optimizing the preparation conditions for enzyme immobilization onto microcapsules.
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| Free Research Field |
生物工学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
有毒な無機ヒ素の処理方法として、早急に実用化が求められているのが無機ヒ素のメチル化による無毒化処理法である。しかし、現在まで実用化に至っていない。その理由として、無機ヒ素のメチル化効率の低さとコストの高さが挙げられる。
本研究によって、直接ヒ素メチル基転移酵素を使ってメチル化反応を行うことで、メチル化有機ヒ素への変換効率を向上させることができる。さらに、無機ヒ素のメチル化反応が高効率で連続して行えることができれば、メチル化効率やコスト面からも有用な技術であることは明らかである。この技術を無毒化プロセスへ応用することで、無機ヒ素の無毒化処理法の実用化に繋がっていく。
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