Umalla, Philmar A.

Biochem 11:30-12:30TThS
BS ChE 5

New grasses that can neutralize toxic pollution from bombs,

explosives, and munitions

In a paper published online Nov. 16 in Plant Biotechnology Journal, University

of Washington and University of York researchers describe new transgenic grass
species that can neutralize and eradicate RDX -- a toxic compound that has been
widely used in explosives since World War II.
UW engineers introduced two genes from bacteria that learned to eat RDX
and break it down into harmless components in two perennial grass species:
switchgrass (Panicumvirgatum) and creeping bentgrass (Agrostisstolonifera). The
best-performing strains removed all the RDX from a simulated soil in which they
were grown within less than two weeks, and they retained none of the toxic
chemical in their leaves or stems.
It is the first reported demonstration of genetically transforming grasses to
supercharge their ability to remove contamination from the environment. Grasses
are hearty, fast-growing, low-maintenance plants that offer practical advantages
over other species in real-world cleanup situations.
RDX is an organic compound that forms the base for many common military
explosives, which can linger in the environment in unexploded or partially exploded
munitions. In large enough doses, it has been shown to cause seizures and organ
damage, and it's currently listed by the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease
Registry as a potential human carcinogen. Unlike other toxic explosives constituents
such as TNT -- which binds to soils and tends to stay put -- RDX dissolves easily in
water and is more prone to spread contamination beyond the limits of a military
range, manufacturing facility or battleground.
Co-authors Neil Bruce and Liz Rylott, biotechnology professor and research
scientist, respectively, at the University of York and colleagues had previously
isolated enzymes found in bacteria that evolved to use the nitrogen found in RDX as
a food source. That digestion process has the added benefit of degrading the toxic
RDX compound into harmless constituents.
The bacteria themselves aren't an ideal cleanup tool because they require
other food sources that aren't always present on military training ranges. So Bruce
and Rylott tried inserting the bacterial genes into plant species commonly used in
laboratory settings. Those experiments proved that the new plant strains were able
to remove RDX contamination much more successfully than their wild counterparts.
"Considering the worldwide scale of explosives contamination, plants are the only
low cost, sustainable solution to cleaning up these polluted sites," said Bruce.
The UW team of environmental engineers spent eight years working to
express the same genes in plant species that could stand up to real-world use. They
needed a hearty perennial species that grows back year after year and that has
strong root systems that can bounce back after fires. Grasses fit that bill, but they
are more difficult to manipulate genetically. In particular, the UW engineers had to
build into their gene constructs robust monocot "promoters" -- or regions of DNA
that cause a particular gene to be expressed -- for the process to work in grass
species. The research team also found another unexpected side benefit: because
the genetically modified grasses use RDX as a nitrogen source, they actually grow
faster than wild grass species.
Next steps for the UW research team include limited field trials on a military
training range to test how the strains perform under different conditions. Wider use
would require USDA approval to ensure that the genetic modifications pose no
threat to wild grass species.

References:
Long Zhang, Ryan Routsong, Quyen Nguyen, Elizabeth L. Rylott, Neil C. Bruce,
Stuart E. Strand. Expression in grasses of multiple transgenes for
degradation of munitions compounds on live fire training ranges. Plant
Biotechnology Journal, 2016; DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12661

University of Washington. "New grasses neutralize toxic pollution from bombs,

explosives, and munitions." ScienceDaily.ScienceDaily, 22 November 2016.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161122182355.htm>.