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Limited information is available on mercury (Hg) levels in various shark species consumed in Korea. The methyl-Hg (Me-Hg) and total Hg concentrations in all shark species ranged from 0.08 to 4.5 (mean: 1.2) mg/kg wet weight and from 0.1 to 7.0 (mean: 1.4) mg/kg wet weight, respectively. Inter-species differences in Hg accumulation were found among the species; however, Hg accumulation was homogenous between dorsal and pectoral fins within species. The highest Hg levels were found in aggressive carnivore shark species. Trophic position was important in determining Hg accumulation for aggressive carnivore sharks. Approximately 80% of shark species exceeded the safety limits for Me-Hg established by domestic and international authorities. The mean estimated daily intake of Me-Hg (1.3 μg/kg body weight/day) for Korean populations consuming various sharks was higher than the guidelines proposed by international regulatory authorities, suggesting that excessive shark fin consumption may pose potential health risks for Koreans.

The present study demonstrates a novel, systematic and application route synthesis approach to develop size-property relationship and control the growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) embedded on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). A sequential repetitive chemical reduction technique to observe the growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) attached to rGO, was performed on a single solution of graphene oxide (GO) and silver nitrate solution (7 runs, R1–R7) in order to manipulate the growth and size of the AgNPs. The physical–chemical properties of the samples were examined by RAMAN, XPS, XRD, SEM-EDAX, and HRTEM analyses. It was confirmed that AgNPs with diameter varying from 4 nm in first run (R1) to 50 nm in seventh run (R7) can be obtained using this technique. A major correlation between particle size and activities was also observed. Antibacterial activities of the samples were carried out to investigate the disinfection performance of the samples on the Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). It was suggested that the sample obtained in the third run (R3) exhibited the highest antibacterial activity as compared to other samples, toward disinfection of bacteria due to its superior properties. This study provides a unique and novel application route to synthesize and control size of AgNPs embedded on graphene for various applications.

Various hydrocarbons have been released into the environment as a result of industrialization. An effective way of removing these materials without further environmental contamination is microbial bioremediation. Mycobacterium gilvum PYR-GCK, a bacteria isolated from a PAH polluted estuary, was studied using comparative shotgun proteomics to gain insight on its molecular activity while using pyrene and glucose as sole carbon and energy sources. Based on annotated genomic information, a confirmation analysis was first performed to confirm its pyrene degradation activity, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technology. One dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technologies employed in the proteomics analysis revealed the expression of pyrene degrading gene products along with upregulated expression of proteins functioning in the glyoxylate and shikimate pathways, in the pyrene-induced cells. The study also revealed the pathway of pyrene degraded intermediates, via partial gluconeogenesis, into the pentose phosphate pathway to produce precursors for nucleotides and amino acids biosynthesis.

Legacy and new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in sediments near a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall in a semi-enclosed bay, to investigate the current contamination and temporal changes in these contaminants associated with regulation activities in Korea. The concentrations of most of the POPs showed clear decreasing trends with an increase in the distance from the WWTP outfall, indicating that the WWTP discharges greatly contributed to the sediment contamination by POPs. Highly significant correlations were found for most of the POPs, indicating a common source for sediment contamination. Significant declines were found in the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and PAHs in the sediments collected between 2005 and 2013. This result suggested that legislative actions (regulation of the PCDD/Fs in flue gas, total pollution load management, and whole effluent toxicity for WWTP discharges) and change of fuels, were likely to be effective at reducing the POP and PAH levels in sediments during the past several years. The different compositional profiles of the PCDD/Fs and PAHs between 2005 and 2013 implied changes in and/or additional sources of these contaminants. Despite a decline in the PCDD/Fs over time, the present levels of PCDD/Fs in the sediment exceeded some of the sediment quality guidelines suggested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mycobacterium gilvum PYR-GCK is a bacterial strain under study for its bioremediation use on heavy hydrocarbon pollutants in the environment. During the course of our study, mammalian cell entry (mce) genes, known to facilitate pathogenicity in M. tuberculosis, were highly expressed during a comparative and substrate-related cultural global transcriptomic study. RNA sequencing of the global transcriptome of the test strain in two different substrates, pyrene and glucose, showed high expression of the mce genes based on the differential results. After validating the expression of these genes with quantitative real-time PCR, we arrived at the conclusion that the genes were expressed based on the pyrene substrate (a phytosterol compound), and sterol metabolism is said to activate the expression of the mce genes in some actinomycetes bacteria, M. gilvum PYR-GCK in this case. This study is believed to be important based on the fact that some mycobacterial strains are undergoing a continuous research as a result of their use in practical bioremediation of anthropogenic exposure of toxic organic wastes in the environment.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic pollutants found in the environment which can be removed through the use of physical and biological agents. The rate of PAH biodegradation is affected by environmental conditions of pH, salinity and temperature. Adaptation of the pyrene degrading bacteria, Mycobacterium gilvum PYR-GCK, to fluctuating environmental conditions during pyrene biodegrading activity was studied using the quantitative real time - Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) technique. Four aromatic ring-cleavage dioxygenase genes: phdF, phdI, pcaG and pcaH; critical to pyrene biodegradation, were studied in pH states of 5.5, 6.5, 7.5 and NaCl concentrations 0 M, 0.17 M, 0.5 M, 0.6 M, 1 M. First, we conducted a residual pyrene study using gas chromatography and flame ionization technologies. Central to a gene expression study is the use of a valid endogenous reference gene, making its determination our next approach, using the geNorm/NormFinder algorithms. Armed with a valid control gene, rpoB, we applied it to a gene expression study, using the comparative critical threshold (2(Delta Delta CT)) quantification method. The pyrene degrading activity of the strain was strongly functional in all the NaCl concentration states, with the least activity found at 1M (similar to 70% degraded after 48 hours of cultivation). The transcripts quantification of three genes backed this observation with high expression levels. The gene expression levels also revealed pH 6.5 as optimal for pyrene degradation and weak degradation activity at pH of 5.5, corroborating the residual pyrene analysis. The expression of these genes as proteins has already been studied in our laboratory using proteomics techniques and this validates our current study.