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Microbial U(VI) reduction plays a major role in new bioremediation strategies for radionuclide-contaminated environments and can potentially affect the safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste in a deep geological repository. Desulfitobacterium sp. G1-2, isolated from a bentonite sample, was used to investigate its potential to reduce U(VI) in different background electrolytes: bicarbonate buffer, where a uranyl(VI)‑carbonate complex predominates, and synthetic Opalinus Clay pore water, where a uranyl(VI)-lactate complex occurs, as confirmed by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopic measurements. While Desulfitobacterium sp. G1-2 rapidly removed almost all U from the supernatants in bicarbonate buffer, only a low amount of U was removed in Opalinus Clay pore water. UV/Vis measurements suggest a speciation-dependent reduction by the microorganism. Scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed the formation of two different U-containing nanoparticles inside the cells. In a subsequent step, artificial multispecies bio-aggregates were formed using derivatized polyelectrolytes with cells of Desulfitobacterium sp. G1-2 and Cobetia marina DSM 50416 to assess their potential for U(VI) reduction under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These findings provide new perspectives on microbial U(VI) reduction and contribute to the development of a safety concept for high-level radioactive waste repositories, as well as to new bioremediation strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The misuse of uranium is a major threat to human health and the environment. In microbial ecosystems, microbes deploy various strategies to cope with uranium-induced stress. However, the exact ecological strategies and mechanisms underlying uranium tolerance in microbes remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the survival strategies and tolerance mechanisms of microbial communities in uranium-contaminated soil and groundwater. Microbial co-occurrence networks and molecular biology techniques were used to analyze the properties of microbes in groundwater and soil samples from various depths of uranium-contaminated areas in Northwest China. Uranium pollution altered microbial ecological strategies. Uranium stress facilitated the formation of microbial community structures, leading to symbiosis. Furthermore, microbes primarily resisted uranium hazards by producing polysaccharides and phosphate groups that chelate uranium, releasing phosphate substances that precipitate uranium, and reducing U(VI) through sulfate- and iron-reducing processes. The relative abundance of metal-methylation genes in soil microorganisms positively correlated with uranium concentration, indicating that soil microorganisms can produce methyl uranium via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Furthermore, soil and groundwater microorganisms demonstrated different responses to uranium stress. This study provides new insights into microbial responses to uranium stress and novel approaches for the bioremediation of uranium-contaminated sites., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Radionuclide contamination has become a global environmental concern due to the high mobility and toxicity of certain isotopes. Bioreduction mediated by electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) with unique extracellular electron transfer (EET) capability is recognized as a promising approach for nuclear waste treatment. However, it is difficult to achieve bidirectional regulation of EET pathway through traditional genetic manipulation, limiting the bioremediation application of EAB. Here, we designed and optimized a novel Esa quorum sensing (EQS) system for highly efficient gene expression and interleaved cellular functional output. By promoting dimethyl sulfoxide reductase at low cell density and increasing the synthesis of electron conductive complex and flavins at high cell density, the EQS system dynamically switched the extracellular respiratory pathway of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 according to cell density. The engineered strain exhibited precise switching and substantial improvement in the extracellular remediation of multiple nuclides, sequentially increasing the reduction of iodine IO 3 - and uranium U(VI) by 2.51- and 2.05-fold compared with the control, respectively. Furthermore, a mobile bacterial biofilm material was fabricated for collecting uranium precipitates coupled with U(VI) reduction. This work clearly demonstrates that EQS system contributes to the bidirectional regulation of EET pathway in EAB, providing an effective and refined strategy for bioremediation of multi-nuclide contamination., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microbial biomineralization significantly affects the uranium (U) behavior in the environment. However, the mechanism of microbial biomineralization of U is still not fully understood. In this study, a dominant bacterium (Pseudomonas sp. WG2-6) was isolated from U tail mining area. Abiotic precipitation tests demonstrated that U biomineralization was entirely attributed to the mediation of Pseudomonas sp. WG2-6 when the concentration ratio of exogenous β-glycerophosphate (SGP) to U was 10:1. Pseudomonas sp. WG2-6 exhibited strong immobilization ability towards U (97.59 %) according to batch experiments, and acylamide, carbonyls, and phosphate groups were the main functional groups that interacted with U. Besides, U mainly existed in the form of amorphous U-P complexes after biomineralization by Pseudomonas WG2-6, which could be converted into crystalline nano-minerals H 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O in the presence of SGP. In particular, the formation and structural composition changes of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) as well as the decrease in U4f binding energy were observed during the U biomineralization process of Pseudomonas sp. WG2-6 in the presence of SGP, indicating that EPS provided the nucleation site for the formation of stable biomineralized products. This work provides new insight into the mechanism of U microbial biomineralization and a theoretical basis for the remediation of U contaminated environments through microbial biomineralization., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in water, soil, cassava, cocoyam and yam grown in two mining districts and a non-mining district in Ghana were determined using a high-resolution gamma spectroscopy system with high-purity germanium detector. The estimated absorbed dose for soil from Amansie, Konongo, and Mampong were 206 nGy/h, 224 nGy/h and 198 nGy/h, respectively, which were all above 60 nGy/h set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. The soil-to-plant transfer factors (TF) for 2 ³⁸U, 2 ³ 2 Th, and ⁴⁰K ranged from 0.11 to 1.11, 0.03 to 2.39, and 0.03 to 22.07, respectively. The results showed that the highest TF for 238 U and 232 Th were 1.11 and 2.39, respectively in cassava. There was no significant variation in the TF of 238 U and 232 Th among the soils in the different communities. The estimated transfer factors for 238 U and 232 Th for cassava, cocoyam and yam were higher than that reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing Interest All the authors declare that they have no known financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence this work or bias their opinions., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The pathway of reducing U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) using electroactive bacteria has become an effective and promising approach to address uranium-contaminated water caused by human activities. However, knowledge regarding the roles of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the uranium reduction process involving in extracellular electron transfer (EET) mechanisms is limited. Here, this study isolated a novel U(VI)-reducing strain, Desulfovibrio vulgaris UR1, with a high uranium removal capacity of 2.75 mM/(g dry cell). Based on a reliable EPS extraction method (45 °C heating), manipulation of EPS in D. vulgaris UR1 suspensions (removal or addition of EPS) highlighted its critical role in facilitating uranium reduction efficiency. On the second day, U(VI) removal rates varied significantly across systems with different EPS contents: 60.8% in the EPS-added system, 48.5% in the pristine system, and 22.2% in the EPS-removed system. Characterization of biogenic solids confirmed the reduction of U(VI) by D. vulgaris UR1, and the main products were uraninite and UO 2 (2.88-4.32 nm in diameter). As EPS formed a permeable barrier, these nanoparticles were primarily immobilized within the EPS in EPS-retained/EPS-added cells, and within the periplasm in EPS-removed cells. Multiple electroactive substances, such as tyrosine/tryptophan aromatic compounds, flavins, and quinone-like substances, were identified in EPS, which might be the reason for enhancement of uranium reduction via providing more electron shuttles. Furthermore, proteomics revealed that a large number of proteins in EPS were enriched in the subcategories of catalytic activity and electron transfer activity. Among these, iron-sulfur proteins, such as hydroxylamine reductase (P31101), pyruvate: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (A0A0H3A501), and sulfite reductase (P45574), played the most critical role in regulating EET in D. vulgaris UR1. This work highlighted the importance of EPS in the uranium reduction by D. vulgaris UR1, indicating that EPS functioned as both a reducing agent and a permeation barrier for access to heavy metal uranium., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transformation represents one of the most important pathways for the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which enables competent bacteria to acquire extracellular ARGs from the surrounding environment. Both heavy metals and irradiation have been demonstrated to influence the bacterial transformation process. However, the impact of ubiquitously occurring radioactive heavy metals on the transformation of ARGs remains largely unknown. Here, we showed that a representative radioactive nuclide, uranium (U), at environmental concentrations (0.005-5 mg/L), improved the transformation frequency of resistant plasmid pUC19 into Escherichia coli by 0.10-0.85-fold in a concentration-dependent manner. The enhanced ARGs transformation ability under U stress was demonstrated to be associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, membrane damage, and up-regulation of genes related to DNA uptake and recombination. Membrane permeability and ROS production were the predominant direct and indirect factors affecting transformation ability, respectively. Our findings provide valuable insight into the underlying mechanisms of the impacts of U on the ARGs transformation process and highlight concerns about the exacerbated spread of ARGs in radioactive heavy metal-contaminated ecosystems, especially in areas with nuclear activity or accidents., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Interest in the biotoxicology of uranium resulting from its inherent radioactive as well as chemical properties has been growing intensely in recent years. Indeed, uranium in its stable form as UO 2 2+ species is ubiquitously found on earth, and this form is commonly known as the uranyl(VI) ion. The unusual electronic environment at the core of the uranyl(VI) complex plays an important role in its interaction with biomacromolecules. Based on the spectroscopic and computational studies, we have explored the interaction of the uranyl(VI) complex with BSA. The results showed that the fluorescence intensity of BSA was quenched upon interaction with the uranyl(VI) complex largely through dynamic mode, which was authenticated by Stern-Volmer calculations and fluorescence lifetime measurements at different temperatures. Fluorescence anisotropy and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy were performed to understand the micro-environments of the fluorophores. Furthermore, the binding constant, standard free energy and number of binding sites were also calculated. Thermodynamic parameters such as Δ H ° and Δ S ° revealed that the non-covalent interactions played a principal role in the binding of the uranyl(VI) complex to BSA, and the value of Δ G ° indicated the spontaneity of the interaction. Using the site marker fluorescent probes, the binding location of the uranyl(VI) complex at the BSA site was established. This was further supported by the molecular docking technique with a docking free energy of -38.91 kJ mol -1 , indicating the non-covalent binding of the uranyl(VI) complex with BSA active sites. This piece of work may contribute mostly to understanding the pharmacokinetics of the uranyl(VI) complex and provide fundamental data on its safe usage.

This study exposes U(VI)-sorbed schwertmannite and jarosite to biotic reductive incubations under field-relevant conditions and examines the changes in aqueous and solid-phase speciation of U, Fe, and S as well as associated microbial communities over 180 days. The chemical, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and microscopic data demonstrated that the U(VI)-sorbed schwertmannite underwent a rapid reductive dissolution and solid-phase transformation to goethite, during which the surface-sorbed U(VI) was partly reduced and mostly repartitioned to monomeric U(VI)/U(IV) complexes by carboxyl and phosphoryl ligands on biomass or organic substances. Furthermore, the microbial data suggest that these processes were likely driven by the consecutive developments of fermentative and sulfate- and iron- reducing microbial communities. In contrast, the U(VI)-sorbed jarosite only stimulated the growth of some fermentative communities and underwent very limited reductive dissolution and thus, remaining in its initial state with no detectable mineralogical transformation and solid-phase U reduction/repartitioning. Accordingly, these two biotic incubations did not induce increased risk of U reliberation to the aqueous phase. These findings have important implications for understanding the interactions of schwertmannite/jarosite with microbial communities and colinked behavior and fate of U following the establishment of reducing conditions in various acidic and U-rich settings.

The remediation of groundwater subject to in situ leaching (ISL) for uranium mining has raised extensive concerns in uranium mill and milling. This study conducted bioremediation through biostimulation and bioaugmentation to the groundwater in an area in northern China that was contaminated due to uranium mining using the CO2 + O2 neutral ISL (NISL) technology. It identified the dominant controlling factors and mechanisms driving bioremediation. Findings indicate that microorganisms can reduce the uranium concentration in groundwater subject to NISL uranium mining to its normal level. After 120 days of bioaugmentation, the uranium concentration in the contaminated groundwater fell to 0.36 mg/L, achieving a remediation efficiency of 91.26 %. Compared with biostimulation, bioaugmentation shortened the remediation timeframe by 30 to 60 days while maintaining roughly the same remediation efficiency. For groundwater remediation using indigenous microbial inoculants, initial uranium concentration and low temperatures (below 15 °C) emerge as the dominant factors influencing the bioremediation performance and duration. In settings with high carbonate concentrations, bioremediation involved the coupling of multiple processes including bioreduction, biotransformation, biomineralization, and biosorption, with bioreduction assuming a predominant role. Post-bioremediation, the relative abundances of reducing microbes Desulfosporosinus and Sulfurospirillum in groundwater increased significantly by 10.56 % and 6.91 %, respectively, offering a sustainable, stable biological foundation for further bioremediation of groundwater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) can potentially be used for uranium (U) phytoremediation. However, the factors influencing the absorption of U and its subsequent distribution within plant tissues remain unclear, including the effect of silicon (Si) which is known to increase metal tolerance. Here, using hydroponics, the effect of Si on the distribution and speciation of U in sunflower was examined using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence and fluorescence-X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy. It was found that ∼88 % of U accumulates within the root regardless of treatments. Without the addition of Si, most of the U appeared to bind to epidermis within the roots, whereas in the leaves, U primarily accumulated in the veins. The addition of Si alleviated U phytotoxicity and decreased U concentration in sunflower by an average of 60 %. In the roots, Si enhanced U distribution in cell walls and impeded its entry into cells, likely due to increased callose deposition. In the leaves, Si induced the sequestration of U in trichomes. However, Si did not alter U speciation and U remained in the hexavalent form. These results provide information on U accumulation and distribution within sunflower, and suggest that Si could enhance plant growth under high U stress., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Uranium pollution in aquatic ecosystems poses a threat to organisms. However, the metabolism and toxicity of uranium along aquatic food chains remain unknown. Here, we established an artificial aquatic ecosystem to investigate the fate of uranium along the food chain and reveal its potential toxicity. The results displayed a dose- and time-dependent toxicity of uranium on algae, leading to cell deformation and impeding cell proliferation. When uranium-exposed algae are ingested by fish, uranium tends to concentrate in the intestinal system and bones of fish. Comparatively, direct water uranium exposure resulted in a remarkable uranium accumulation in the head, skin, and muscles of fish, suggesting different toxicity depending on distinct exposure pathways. High-level uranium pollution (20 mg L -1 ) intensifies the toxicity to fish through food intake compared to direct water exposure. It has also revealed that approximately 25 % and 20 % of U(VI) were reduced to lower valence forms during its accumulation in algae and fish, respectively, and over 10 % of U(IV, VI) converted to U(0) ultimately, through which uranium toxicity was mitigated due to the lower solubility and bioavailability. Overall, this study provides new insights into the fate of uranium during its delivery along the aquatic food chain and highlights the risks associated with consuming uranium-contaminated aquatic products., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Coal fly ash (CFA) is an essential raw material in brickmaking industry worldwide. There are some coal mines with a relatively high content of uranium (U) in the Xinjiang region of China that are yet understudied. The CFA from these coal mines poses substantial environmental risks due to the concentrated uranium amount after coal burning. In this paper, we demonstrated a calcifying ureolytic bacterium Halomonas sp. SBC20 for its biocementation of U in CFA based on microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP). Rectangle-shaped CFA bricks were made from CFA using bacterial cells, and an electric testing machine tested their compressive strength. U distribution pattern and immobility against rainfall runoff were carefully examined by a five-stage U sequential extraction method and a leaching column test. The microstructural changes in CFA bricks were characterized by FTIR and SEM-EDS methods. The results showed that the compressive strength of CFA bricks after being cultivated by bacterial cells increased considerably compared to control specimens. U mobility was significantly decreased in the exchangeable fraction, while the U content was markedly increased in the carbonate-bound fraction after biocementation. Much less U was released in the leaching column test after the treatment with bacterial cells. The FTIR and SEM-EDX methods confirmed the formation of carbonate precipitates and the incorporation of U into the calcite surfaces, obstructing the release of U into the surrounding environments. The technology provides an effective and economical treatment of U-contaminated CFA, which comes from coal mines with high uranium content in the Xinjiang region, even globally., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest exists to this work., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Diatoms and bacteria play a vital role in investigating the ecological effects of heavy metals in the environment. Despite separate studies on metal interactions with diatoms and bacteria, there is a significant gap in research regarding heavy metal interactions within a diatom-bacterium system, which closely mirrors natural conditions. In this study, we aim to address this gap by examining the interaction of uranium(VI) (U(VI)) with Achnanthidium saprophilum freshwater diatoms and their natural bacterial community, primarily consisting of four successfully isolated bacterial strains (Acidovorax facilis, Agrobacterium fabrum, Brevundimonas mediterranea, and Pseudomonas peli) from the diatom culture. Uranium (U) bio-association experiments were performed both on the xenic A. saprophilum culture and on the four bacterial isolates. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy coupled with spectrum imaging analysis based on energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed a clear co-localization of U and phosphorus both on the surface and inside A. saprophilum diatoms and the associated bacterial cells. Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy with parallel factor analysis identified similar U(VI) binding motifs both on A. saprophilum diatoms and the four bacterial isolates. This is the first work providing valuable microscopic and spectroscopic data on U localization and speciation within a diatom-bacterium system, demonstrating the contribution of the co-occurring bacteria to the overall interaction with U, a factor non-negligible for future modeling and assessment of radiological effects on living microorganisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we investigated the effect of detoxifying substances on U(VI) removal by bacteria isolated from mine soil. The results demonstrated that the highest U(VI) removal efficiency (85.6%) was achieved at pH 6.0 and a temperature of 35 °C, with an initial U(VI) concentration of 10 mg/L. For detoxifying substances, signaling molecules acyl homoserine lactone (AHLs, 0.1 µmol/L), anthraquinone-2, 6-disulfonic acid (AQDS, 1 mmol/L), reduced glutathione (GSH, 0.1 mmol/L), selenium (Se, 1 mg/L), montmorillonite (MT, 1 g/L), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA, 0.1 mmol/L) substantially enhanced the bacterial U(VI) removal by 34.9%, 37.4%, 54.5%, 35.1%, 32.8%, and 47.8% after 12 h, respectively. This was due to the alleviation of U(VI) toxicity in bacteria through detoxifying substances, as evidenced by lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content and higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities for bacteria exposed to U(VI) and detoxifying substances, compared to those exposed to U(VI) alone. FTIR results showed that hydroxyl, carboxyl, phosphorus, and amide groups participated in the U(VI) removal. After exposure to U(VI), the relative abundances of Chryseobacterium and Stenotrophomonas increased by 48.5% and 12.5%, respectively, suggesting their tolerance ability to U(VI). Gene function prediction further demonstrated that the detoxifying substances AHLs alleviate U(VI) toxicity by influencing bacterial metabolism. This study suggests the potential application of detoxifying substances in the U(VI)-containing wastewater treatment through bioremediation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Deep geological repositories (DGRs) stand out as one of the optimal options for managing high-level radioactive waste (HLW) such as uranium (U) in the near future. Here, we provide novel insights into microbial behavior in the DGR bentonite barrier, addressing potential worst-case scenarios such as waste leakage (e.g., U) and groundwater infiltration of electron rich donors in the bentonite. After a three-year anaerobic incubation, Illumina sequencing results revealed a bacterial diversity dominated by anaerobic and spore-forming microorganisms mainly from the phylum Firmicutes. Highly U tolerant and viable bacterial isolates from the genera Peribacillus, Bacillus, and some SRB such as Desulfovibrio and Desulfosporosinus, were enriched from U-amended bentonite. The results obtained by XPS and XRD showed that U was present as U(VI) and as U(IV) species. Regarding U(VI), we have identified biogenic U(VI) phosphates, U(UO 2 )·(PO 4 ) 2, located in the inner part of the bacterial cell membranes in addition to U(VI)-adsorbed to clays such as montmorillonite. Biogenic U(IV) species as uraninite may be produced as result of bacterial enzymatic U(VI) reduction. These findings suggest that under electron donor-rich water-saturation conditions, bentonite microbial community can control U speciation, immobilizing it, and thus enhancing future DGR safety if container rupture and waste leakage occurs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) are important but often overlooked regulators of uranium (U) cycling in soil. However, the impact of PSB on uranate fixation coupled with the decomposition of recalcitrant phosphorus (P) in mining land remains poorly understood. Here, we combined gene amplicon sequencing, metagenome and metatranscriptome sequencing analysis and strain isolation to explore the effects of PSB on the stabilization of uranate and P availability in U mining areas. We found that the content of available phosphorus (AP), carbonate-U and Fe-Mn-U oxides in tailings was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than their adjacent soils. Also, organic phosphate mineralizing (PhoD) bacteria (e.g., Streptomyces) and inorganic phosphate solubilizing (gcd) bacteria (e.g., Rhodococcus) were enriched in tailings and soils, but only organic phosphate mineralizing-bacteria substantially contributed to the AP. Notably, most genes involved in organophosphorus mineralization and uranate resistance were widely present in tailings rather than soil. Comparative genomics analyses supported that organophosphorus mineralizing-Streptomyces species could increase soil AP content and immobilize U(VI) through organophosphorus mineralization (e.g., PhoD, ugpBAEC) and U resistance related genes (e.g., petA). We further demonstrated that the isolated Streptomyces sp. PSBY1 could enhance the U(VI) immobilization mediated by the NADH-dependent ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase (petA) through decomposing organophosphorous compounds. This study advances our understanding of the roles of PSB in regulating the fixation of uranate and P availability in U tailings., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Prokaryotes are effective biosorbents for the recovery of uranium and other heavy metals. However, the potential mechanism of uranium bioaccumulation by filamentous strain (actinobacteria) remains unclear. This study demonstrates the potential for and mechanism of uranium bioaccumulation by living (L-SS) and inactivated (I-SS) Streptomyces sp. HX-1 isolated from uranium mine waste streams. Uranium accumulation experiments showed that L-SS and I-SS had efficient uranium adsorption potentials, with removal rates of 92.93 and 97.42%, respectively. Kinetic and equilibrium data indicated that the bioaccumulation process was consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic, Langmuir, and Sips isotherm models. FTIR indicated that the main functional groups of L-SS and I-SS binding uranium were uranyl, carboxyl, and phosphate groups. Moreover, the results of XRD, XPS, SEM-EDS, and TEM-EDS analyses revealed for the first time that L-SS has biomineralization and bioreduction capacity against uranium. L-SS mineralize U(VI) into NH 4 UO 2 PO 4 and [Formula: see text] through the metabolic activity of biological enzymes (phosphatases). In summary, Streptomyces sp. HX-1 is a novel and efficient uranium-fixing biosorbent for the treatment of uranium-contaminated wastewater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The shift towards a circular economy, where waste generation is minimized through waste re-use and the development of valorization strategies, is crucial for the establishment of a low carbon, sustainable, and resource-efficient economy. However, there is a lack of strategies for re-using and valorizing specific types of waste, particularly those containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), despite the prevalence of industrial activities that produce such waste due to their chemical and radiological hazards. Living organisms, including fungi, are valuable sources of bioactive compounds with various industrial applications. In this study, we assessed the growth and metabolic profile changes of three white rot fungi species in response to low concentrations of a uranium mine effluent containing NORM and metals to explore their potential for producing biotechnologically relevant bioactive compounds. The growth rate was assessed in three different culture media, with and without the uranium mine effluent (1% V/V)), and the metabolic profile was analyzed using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. Results suggested an improvement in growth rates in media containing the uranium mine effluent, although not statistically significant. T. versicolor showed promise in terms of bioactive compound production. The production of droplets during growth experiments and significant metabolic changes, associated with the production of bioactive compounds like laccase, melanin, and oxalic acid, were observed in T. versicolor grown in mYEPDA with the uranium mine effluent. These findings present new research opportunities for utilizing waste to enhance the biotechnological production of industrially relevant bioactive compounds and promote the development of circular economy strategies for re-using and valorizing NORM-containing waste., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Seepage of uranium tailings has become a focus of attention in the uranium mining and metallurgy industry, and in-situ microbial remediation is considered an effective way to treat uranium pollution. However, this method has the drawbacks of easy biomass loss and unstable remediation effect. To overcome these issues, spare red soil around the uranium mine was used to enhance the efficiency and stability of bioremediation. Furthermore, the bioremediation mechanism was revealed by employing XRD, FTIR, XPS, and 16S rRNA. The results showed that red soil, as a barrier material, had the adsorption potential of 8.21-148.00 mg U/kg soil, but the adsorption is accompanied by the release of certain acidic and oxidative substances. During the dynamic microbial remediation, red soil was used as a cover material to neutralize acidity, provide a higher reduction potential (<-200 mV), and increase the retention rate of microbial agent (19.06 mL/d) compared to the remediation group without red soil. In the presence of red soil, the anaerobic system could maintain the uranium concentration in the solution below 0.3 mg/L for more than 70 days. Moreover, the generation of new clay minerals driven by microorganisms was more conducive to the stability of uranium tailings. Through alcohol and amino acid metabolism of microorganisms, a reducing environment with reduced valence states of multiple elements (such as S 2- , Fe 2+ , and U 4+ ) was formed. At the same time, the relative abundance of functional microbial communities in uranium tailings improved in presence of red soil and Desulfovirobo, Desulfocapsa, Desulfosporosinus, and other active microbial communities reconstructed the anaerobic environment. The study provides a new two-in-one solution for treatment of uranium tailings and resource utilization of red soil through in-situ microbial remediation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) has been used to cure rare earth slags (RES) containing radionuclides (e.g. Th and U) and heavy metals with favorable results. However, the role of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in MICP curing RES remains unclear. In this study, the EPS of Lysinibacillus sphaericus K-1 was extracted for the experiments of adsorption, inducing calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) precipitation and curing of RES. The role of EPS in in MICP curing RES and stabilizing radionuclides and heavy metals was analyzed by evaluating the concentration and morphological distribution of radionuclides and heavy metals, and the compressive strength of the cured body. The results indicate that the adsorption efficiencies of EPS for Th (IV), U (VI), Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ , Zn 2+ , and Cd 2+ were 44.83%, 45.83%, 53.7%, 61.3%, 42.1%, and 77.85%, respectively. The addition of EPS solution resulted in the formation of nanoscale spherical particles on the microorganism surface, which could act as an accumulating skeleton to facilitate the formation of CaCO 3 . After adding 20 mL of EPS solution during the curing process (Treat group), the maximum unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the cured body reached 1.922 MPa, which was 12.13% higher than the CK group. The contents of exchangeable Th (IV) and U (VI) in the cured bodies of the Treat group decreased by 3.35% and 4.93%, respectively, compared with the CK group. Therefore, EPS enhances the effect of MICP curing RES and reduces the potential environmental problems that may be caused by radionuclides and heavy metals during the long-term sequestration of RES., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Uranium accumulation in the kidneys and bones following internal contamination results in severe damage, emphasizing the pressing need for the discovery of actinide decorporation agents with efficient removal of uranium and low toxicity. In this work, cinnamic acid (3-phenyl-2-propenoic acid, CD), a natural aromatic carboxylic acid, is investigated as a potential uranium decorporation ligand. CD demonstrates markedly lower cytotoxicity than that of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), an actinide decorporation agent approved by the FDA, and effectively removes approximately 44.5% of uranyl from NRK-52E cells. More importantly, the results of the prompt administration of the CD solution remove 48.2 and 27.3% of uranyl from the kidneys and femurs of mice, respectively. Assessments of serum renal function reveal the potential of CD to ameliorate uranyl-induced renal injury. Furthermore, the single crystal of CD and uranyl compound (C 9 H 7 O 2 ) 2 ·UO 2 (denoted as UO 2 -CD) reveals the formation of uranyl dimers as secondary building units. Thermodynamic analysis of the solution shows that CD coordinates with uranyl to form a 2:1 molar ratio complex at a physiological pH of 7.4. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further show that CD exhibits a significant 7-fold heightened affinity for uranyl binding in comparison to DTPA.

Microorganisms inhabiting uranium (U)-rich environments have specific physiological and biochemical coping mechanisms to deal with U toxicity, and thereby play a crucial role in the U biogeochemical cycling as well as associated heavy metals. We investigated the diversity and functional capabilities of indigenous bacterial communities inhabiting historic U- and Rare-Earth-Elements-rich polymetallic tailings from the Mount Painter Inlier, Northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Bacterial diversity profiling identified Actinobacteria as the predominant phylum in all samples. GeoChip analyses revealed the presence of diverse functional genes associated with biogenic element cycling, metal homeostasis/resistance, stress response, and secondary metabolism. The high abundance of metal-resistance and stress-tolerance genes indicates the adaptation of bacterial communities to the "harsh" environmental (metal-rich and semi-arid) conditions of the Northern Flinders Ranges. Additionally, a viable bacterial consortium was enriched from polymetallic tailings. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that the consortium scrubbed uranyl from solution by precipitating a uranyl phosphate biomineral (chernikovite), thus contributing to U biogeochemical cycling. These specialised microbial communities reflect the high specificity of the mineralogy/geochemistry, and biogeography of these U-rich settings. This study provides the fundamental knowledge to develop future applications in securing long-term stability of polymetallic mine waste, and for reprocessing this "waste" to further extract critical minerals., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To investigate the strengthening effects and mechanisms of bioaugmentation on the microbial remediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater via bioreduction coupled to biomineralization, two exogenous microbial consortia with reducing and phosphate-solubilizing functions were screened and added to uranium-contaminated groundwater as the experimental groups (group B, reducing consortium added; group C, phosphate-solubilizing consortium added). β-glycerophosphate (GP) was selected to stimulate the microbial community as the sole electron donor and phosphorus source. The results showed that bioaugmentation accelerated the consumption of GP and the proliferation of key functional microbes in groups B and C. In group B, Dysgonomonas, Clostridium&#95;sensu&#95;stricto&#95;11 and Clostridium&#95;sensu&#95;stricto&#95;13 were the main reducing bacteria, and Paenibacillus was the main phosphate-solubilizing bacteria. In group C, the microorganisms that solubilized phosphate were mainly unclassified&#95;f&#95;Enterobacteriaceae. Additionally, bioaugmentation promoted the formation of unattached precipitates and alleviated the inhibitory effect of cell surface precipitation on microbial metabolism. As a result, the formation rate of U-phosphate precipitates and the removal rates of aqueous U(VI) in both groups B and C were elevated significantly after bioaugmentation. The U(VI) removal rate was poor in the control group (group A, with only an indigenous consortium). Propionispora, Sporomusa and Clostridium&#95;sensu&#95;stricto&#95;11 may have played an important role in the removal of uranium in group A. Furthermore, the addition of a reducing consortium promoted the reduction of U(VI) to U(IV), and immobilized uranium existed in the form of U(IV)-phosphate and U(VI)-phosphate precipitates in group B. In contrast, U was present mainly as U(VI)-phosphate precipitates in groups A and C. Overall, bioaugmentation with an exogenous consortium resulted in the rapid removal of uranium from groundwater and the formation of U-phosphate minerals and served as an effective strategy for improving the treatment of uranium-contaminated groundwater in situ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Uranium exposure may cause serious pathological injury to the body, which is attributed to oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the pathogenesis of uranium toxicity has not been clarified. Here, we evaluated the level of oxidative stress to determine the relationship between uranium exposure, nephrotoxic oxidative stress, and endothelial inflammation., Methods: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups (U-24h, U-48h, and U-72h) and one control group. The three experimental groups were intraperitoneally injected with 2.0 mg/kg uranyl acetate, and tissue and serum samples were collected after 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively, whereas the control group was intraperitoneally injected with 1.0 ml/kg normal saline and samples were collected after 24 h. Then, we observed changes in the uranium levels and oxidative stress parameters, including the total oxidative state (TOS), total antioxidant state (TAS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) in kidney tissue and serum. We also detected the markers of kidney injury, namely urea (Ure), creatine (Cre), cystatin C (CysC), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). The endothelial inflammatory markers, namely C-reactive protein (CRP), lipoprotein phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), and homocysteine (Hcy), were also quantified. Finally, we analyzed the relationship among these parameters., Results: TOS (z = 3.949; P < 0.001), OSI (z = 5.576; P < 0.001), Ure (z = 3.559; P < 0.001), Cre (z = 3.476; P < 0.001), CysC (z = 4.052; P < 0.001), NGAL (z = 3.661; P < 0.001), and CRP (z = 5.286; P < 0.001) gradually increased after uranium exposure, whereas TAS (z = -3.823; P < 0.001), tissue U (z = -2.736; P = 0.001), Hcy (z = -2.794; P = 0.005), and Lp-PLA2 (z = -4.515; P < 0.001) gradually decreased. The serum U level showed a V-shape change (z = -1.655; P = 0.094). The uranium levels in the kidney tissue and serum were positively correlated with TOS (r = 0.440 and 0.424; P = 0.005 and 0.007) and OSI (r = 0.389 and 0.449; P = 0.013 and 0.004); however, serum U levels were negatively correlated with TAS (r = -0.349; P = 0.027). Partial correlation analysis revealed that NGAL was closely correlated to tissue U (r partial  = 0.455; P = 0.003), CysC was closely correlated to serum U (r partial  = 0.501; P = 0.001), and Lp-PLA2 was closely correlated to TOS (r partial  = 0.391; P = 0.014), TAS (r partial  = 0.569; P < 0.001), and OSI (r partial  = -0.494; P = 0.001). Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the Hcy levels were negatively correlated with tissue U (r = -0.344; P = 0.030) and positively correlated with TAS (r = 0.396; P = 0.011)., Conclusion: The uranium-induced oxidative injury may be mainly reflected in enhanced endothelial inflammation, and the direct chemical toxicity of uranium plays an important role in the process of kidney injury, especially in renal tubular injury. In addition, CysC may be a sensitive marker reflecting the nephrotoxicity of uranium; however, Hcy is not suitable for evaluating short-term endothelial inflammation involving oxidative stress., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Uranium (U) contamination of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems poses a significant threat to the environment and human health due to the chemotoxicity of this actinide. The characterization of organisms that tolerate and accumulate U is crucial to decipher the mechanisms evolved to cope with the radionuclide and to propose new effective strategies for the bioremediation of U-contaminated environments. Here, we isolated a unicellular green microalga of the genus Coelastrella from U-contaminated wastewater. We showed that Coelastrella sp. PCV is much more tolerant to U than Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella vulgaris. Coelastrella sp. PCV is able to accumulate U very rapidly and then gradually release it into the medium, behaving as an excluder to limit the toxic effects of U. The ability of Coelastrella sp. PCV to accumulate U is remarkably high, with up to 240 mg of tightly bound U per g of dry biomass. Coelastrella sp. PCV is able to grow and maintain high photosynthesis in natural metal-contaminated waters from a wetland near a reclaimed U mine. In a single one-week growth cycle, Coelastrella sp. PCV is able to capture 25-55 % of the U from the contaminated waters and shows lipid droplet accumulation. Coelastrella sp. PCV is a very promising microalga for the remediation of polluted waters with valorization of algal biomass that accumulates lipids., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Uranium (U) pollution in soils is prevalent worldwide and poses a significant health risk that will require remediation approaches. However, traditional U bioreduction by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are sensitive to oxygen and are not suitable for treating aerobic topsoil. Bioprecipitation of U into uranyl phosphate (UP) mediated by phosphate-solubilizing microorganism (PSM) is not affected by oxygen. In this study, PSM strains were isolated and used for U-contaminated soil remediation. Microbial metabolites and the mechanism of PSM bioprecipitation were revealed. The results showed that strain Enterobacter sp. N1-10 had the highest phosphate-solubilizing capacity (dissolved P was 409.51 ± 8.48 mg/L). Uranium bioprecipitation was investigated by culturing the bacterium in the presence of 50 mg/L U and in the cell-free culture supernatant. The results showed that strain N1-10 had a high U removal rate (99.45 ± 0.43 %) after adding 50 mg/L U to the culture medium. A yellow precipitate was immediately formed when uranyl nitrate solution was added to the cell-free culture supernatant. The analysis indicated that bacterium produced lactic acid (37.58 mg/L), citric acid (4.76 mg/L), succinic acid (2.03 mg/L), and D-glucuronic acid (1.94 mg/L); the four organic acids solubilized Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 to form stable uranyl phosphate precipitate. The application of strain N1-10 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 significantly decreased the bioavailability of soil U (43.54 ± 0.52 %). In addition, pot experiments showed that PSM N1-10 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 promoted plant growth and markedly reduced U accumulation by pakchoi. These results demonstrate that PSM N1-10 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 exhibit a great potential for U bioremediation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The contamination of uranium in aquatic ecosystems has raised growing global concern. However, the understanding of its chronic effects on aquatic organisms is limited, particularly with regards to transgenerational toxicity. In this study, we evaluated the maternal transfer risk of uranium using zebrafish. Sexually mature female zebrafish were exposed to 2 and 20 ng/g of uranium-spiked food for 28 days. The induced bioconcentration, thyroid disruption, and oxidative stress in both the adults (F0) and their embryos (F1) were further investigated. Element analysis showed that uranium was present in both F0 and F1, with higher concentrations observed in F1, indicating significant maternal offloading to the offspring. Meanwhile, an increased malformation and decreased swim speed were observed in the F1. Thyroid hormone analysis revealed significant decreases in the levels of triiodothyronine (T3) in both the F0 adults and F1 embryos, but thyroxine (T4) was not significantly affected. Additionally, the activities of antioxidant defenses, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the expression of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly altered in the F0 and F1 larvae at 120 hpf. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, oxidative stress, and apoptosis-related gene transcription expression were also significantly affected in both generations. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of considering maternal transfer in uranium risk assessments., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Uranium is a contaminate in the underground water in many regions of the world, which poses health risks to the local populations through drinking water. Although the health hazards of natural uranium have been concerned for decades, the controversies about its detrimental effects continue at present since it is still unclear how uranium interacts with molecular regulatory networks to generate toxicity. Here, we integrate transcriptomic and metabolomic methods to unveil the molecular mechanism of lipid metabolism disorder induced by uranium. Following exposure to uranium in drinking water for twenty-eight days, aberrant lipid metabolism and lipogenesis were found in the liver, accompanied with aggravated lipid peroxidation and an increase in dead cells. Multi-omics analysis reveals that uranium can promote the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids through dysregulating the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA), linoleic acid, and glycerophospholipid. Most notably, the disordered metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like AA may contribute to lipid peroxidation induced by uranium, which in turn triggers ferroptosis in hepatocytes. Our findings highlight disorder of lipid metabolism as an essential toxicological mechanism of uranium in the liver, offering insight into the health risks of uranium in drinking water., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Understanding the biogeochemical U redox processes is crucial for controlling U mobility and toxicity under conditions relevant to deep geological repositories (DGRs). In this study, we examined the microbial reduction of aqueous hexavalent uranium U(VI) [U(VI) aq ] by indigenous bacteria in U-contaminated groundwater. Three indigenous bacteria obtained from granitic groundwater at depths of 44-60 m (S1), 92-116 m (S2), and 234-244 m (S3) were used in U(VI) aq bioreduction experiments. The concentration of U(VI) aq was monitored to evaluate its removal efficiency for 24 weeks under anaerobic conditions with the addition of 20 mM sodium acetate. During the anaerobic reaction, U(VI) aq was precipitated in the form of U(IV)-silicate with a particle size >100 nm. The final U(VI) aq removal efficiencies were 37.7%, 43.1%, and 57.8% in S1, S2, and S3 sample, respectively. Incomplete U(VI) aq removal was attributed to the presence of a thermodynamically stable calcium uranyl carbonate complex in the U-contaminated groundwater. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed the differences in indigenous bacterial communities in response to the depth, which affected to the U(VI) aq removal efficiency. Pseudomonas peli was found to be a common bacterium related to U(VI) aq bioreduction in S1 and S2 samples, while two SRB species, Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii and Desulfatirhabdium butyrativorans, played key roles in the bioreduction of U(VI) aq in S3 sample. These results indicate that remediation of U(VI) aq is possible by stimulating the activity of indigenous bacteria in the DGR environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Uranium (U) is a well-known nephrotoxicant which forms precipitates in the lysosomes of renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) after U-exposure at a cytotoxic dose. However, the roles of lysosomes in U decorporation and detoxification remain to be elucidated. Mucolipin transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPML1) is a major lysosomal Ca 2+ channel regulating lysosomal exocytosis. We herein demonstrate that the delayed administration of the specific TRPML1 agonist ML-SA1 significantly decreases U accumulation in the kidney, mitigates renal proximal tubular injury, increases apical exocytosis of lysosomes and reduces lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) in renal PTECs of male mice with single-dose U poisoning or multiple-dose U exposure. Mechanistic studies reveal that ML-SA1 stimulates intracellular U removal and reduces U-induced LMP and cell death through activating the positive TRPML1-TFEB feedback loop and consequent lysosomal exocytosis and biogenesis in U-loaded PTECs in vitro. Together, our studies demonstrate that TRPML1 activation is an attractive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of U-induced nephrotoxicity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The intricate dynamics of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in response to phosphorus (P) limitation and metal exposure typical of contaminated aquatic environments is poorly understood. Cyanobacteria are important primary producers in aquatic environments that are exposed to P stringency as well as metal contamination. There is a growing concern regarding migration of uranium, generated as a result of anthropogenic activities, into the aquatic environments owing to high mobility and solubility of stable aqueous complexes of uranyl ions. The polyP metabolism in cyanobacteria in context of uranium (U) exposure under P limitation has hardly been explored. In this study, we analyzed the polyP dynamics in a marine, filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena torulosa under combination of variable phosphate concentrations (overplus and deficient) and uranyl exposure conditions typical of marine environments. Polyphosphate accumulation (polyP + ) or deficient (polyP - ) conditions were physiologically synthesized in the A. torulosa cultures and were ascertained by (a) toulidine blue staining followed by their visualization using bright field microscopy and (b) scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). On exposure to 100 μM of uranyl carbonate at pH 7.8, it was observed that the growth of polyP + cells under phosphate limitation was hardly affected and these cells exhibited larger amounts of uranium binding as compared to polyP - cells of A. torulosa. In contrast, the polyP - cells displayed extensive lysis when exposed to similar U exposure. Our findings suggest that polyP accumulation played an important role in conferring uranium tolerance in the marine cyanobacterium, A. torulosa. The polyP-mediated uranium tolerance and binding could serve as a suitable strategy for remediation of uranium contamination in aquatic environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Arsenic (As) and uranium (U) frequently occur together naturally and, in consequence, transform into cocontaminants at sites of uranium mining and processing, yet the simultaneous interaction process of arsenic and uranium has not been well documented. In the present contribution, the influence of arsenate on the removal and reduction of uranyl by the indigenous microorganism Kocuria rosea was characterized using batch experiments combined with species distribution calculation, SEM-EDS, FTIR, XRD and XPS. The results showed that the coexistence of arsenic plays an active role in Kocuria rosea growth and the removal of uranium under neutral and slightly acidic conditions. U-As complex species of UO 2 HAsO 4 (aq) had a positive effect on uranium removal, while Kocuria rosea cells appeared to have a large specific surface area serving as attachment sites. Furthermore, a large number of nano-sized flaky precipitates, constituted by uranium and arsenic, attached to the surface of Kocuria rosea cells at pH 5 through P=O, COO - , and C=O groups in phospholipids, polysaccharides, and proteins. The biological reduction of U(VI) and As(V) took place in a successive way, and the formation of a chadwickite-like uranyl arsenate precipitate further inhibited U(VI) reduction. The results will help to design more effective bioremediation strategies for arsenic-uranium cocontamination., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Uranium (U) phytotoxicity is an inherently difficult problem in the phytoremediation of U-contaminated environments. Plant chelating and antioxidant systems play an authoritative role in resistance to abiotic stress. To reveal the toxicity of U, the changes of chelating system, osmoregulatory substances and antioxidant systems in Vicia faba roots were studied after short-term (24 h) U exposure. The results indicated that the development of lateral roots and root activity of V. faba were significantly inhibited with U accumulation. Compared with the control, plant chelating systems showed significant positive effects after U exposure (15 - 25 μM). Osmoregulatory substances (proline and soluble protein) increasingly accumulated in roots with increasing U concentration, and O 2 - and H 2 O 2 rapidly accumulated after U exposure (15 - 25 μM). Thus, the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation, were also significantly increased. Antioxidant systems were activated after U exposure but were inhibited at higher U concentrations (15 - 25 μM). In summary, although the chelating, osmotic regulation and antioxidant systems in V. faba were activated after short-term U exposure, the antioxidases (CAT, SOD and POD) were inhibited at higher U concentrations (15 - 25 μM). Therefore, the root cells were severely damaged by peroxidation, which eventually resulted in inhibited activity and arrested root development., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Botanical Society of Japan.)

Uranium biomineralization can slow uranium migration in the environment and thus prevent it from further contaminating the surroundings. Investigations into the uranium species, pH, inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentration, and microbial viability during biomineralization by microorganisms are crucial for understanding the mineralization mechanism. In this study, Bacillus thuringiensis X-27 was isolated from soil contaminated with uranium and was used to investigate the formation process of uranium biominerals induced by X-27. The results showed that as biomineralization proceeded, amorphous uranium-containing deposits were generated and transformed into crystalline minerals outside cells, increasing the overall concentration of uramphite. This is a cumulative rather than abrupt process. Notably, B. thuringiensis X-27 precipitated uranium outside the cell surface within 0.5 h, while the release of Pi into the extracellular environment and the change of pH to alkalescence further promoted the formation of uramphite. In addition, cell viability determination showed that the U(VI) biomineralization induced by B. thuringiensis X-27 was instrumental in alleviating the toxicity of U(VI) to cells. This work offers insight into the mechanism of U(VI) phosphate biomineralization and is a reference for bioremediation-related studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Here, we present a protocol for uranium extraction from seawater (UES) and its characterization and computational-based structure analysis. We describe formulating batch adsorption experiments for adsorptive separation of uranium using thin film (TFCH) of Hydrogen-bonded Organic Framework (CSMCRIHOF-1). We then detail the recovery of uranium using eluent mixtures and the steps to regenerate TFCH for recyclability studies. Finally, we describe the spectroscopic characterizations of TFCH and uranium adsorbed TFCH, followed by computational analysis of the structures and binding sites. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kaushik et al. (2022). 1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The kidney is the main organ affected by acute depleted uranium (DU) toxicity. The mechanism of nephrotoxicity induced by DU is complex and needs to be further explored. This study aimed to elucidate the function of mitochondrial dysfunction in nephrotoxicity generated by DU and confirm the latent mechanism. We verified that DU (2.5-10 mg/kg) caused mitochondrial dysfunction in male rat kidneys and decreased ATP content and the mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, melatonin (20 mg/kg), as an antioxidant, alleviated DU-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in male rats, further reducing kidney damage caused by DU. These results indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a vital role in DU nephrotoxicity. When ethylmalonic encephalopathy 1 (ETHE1) was knocked down, DU-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction were increased, and renal injury was aggravated. When exogenous ETHE1 protein was applied to renal cells, the opposite changes were observed. We also found that ETHE1 knockdown increased the expression of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a vital oxidative stress regulator, and its downstream molecules heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Nrf2 knockout also aggravated DU-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and kidney damage. In conclusion, DU causes oxidative stress and antioxidant defense imbalance in renal cells through the ETHE1/Nrf2 pathway, further causing mitochondrial dysfunction and ultimately leading to nephrotoxicity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fungus Cladosporium sp. strain F1 showed highly effective biosorption capacity to lead phosphate mineral and perovskite solar cells lead iodide compared to other fungi Aspergillus niger VKMF-1119 and Mucor ramannianus R-56. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses shows that Cladosporium sp. strain F1, which previously showed high biosorption capacity to uranium phosphate nanorods and nanoplates, can accumulate lead phosphate mineral and lead iodide on the fungal hyphae surface in large amounts under a wide range of pH conditions, while A. niger VKMF-1119 and M. ramannianus R-56 adsorbed small amounts of minerals. After biosorption of lead iodide minerals on Cladosporium sp. strain F1, aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (50%) at pH 2 (70 °C) released the mineral more than 99%. Based on the fungal surface analyses, hydrophobic properties on the surfaces of Cladosporium sp. strain F1 could affect the higher biosorption capacity of strain F1 to lead phosphate mineral and lead iodide as compared to other tested fungi. Cladosporium sp. strain F1 may be the novel biosorbents to remediate the phosphate rich environment and to recover lead from perovskite solar cells lead iodide., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The chemical toxicity and the oxidative stress induced by the internal exposure of uranium is responsible for the long-term adverse effect of in vivo contamination of uranium. An agent with simultaneous removal capability of uranium and excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) is highly desired. Herein, the lacunary Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) is demonstrated to selectively bind with uranyl ions in the presence of excess essential divalent ions and exhibits a compelling ROS scavenging efficiency of 78.8%. In vivo uranium decorporation assays illustrate the uranium sequestration efficiencies of 74.0%, 49.4%, and 37.1% from kidneys by prophylactic, prompt, and delayed administration of lacunary POM solution, respectively. The superior ROS quenching and uranium removal performance in comparison with all reported bifunctional agents endow lacunary polyoxometalates as novel agents to effectively protect people from injuries caused by the internal exposure of actinides.

Uranium is a radioactive heavy metal and a significant public health concern; however, its associated underlying toxicological mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this work, the uptake and efflux processes of uranium in CHO-k1 cells were studied and the cytotoxicity effects were explored. It was found that both the uptake and efflux processes took place rapidly and half of the internalized uranium was expelled within 8 h. The uranium exposure caused a decrease of cell viability and adhesion ability in a dose-dependent manner and blocked the cell cycle at the G1 stage. In addition, gene expression analysis revealed relative changes in the transcription of metabolism related genes. Further studies revealed that the cytotoxicity of uranium could be alleviated by exposing cells to a lower temperature or by the addition of amantadine-HCl, an endocytosis inhibitor. Interestingly, after uranium exposure, needle-like precipitates were observed in both intracellular and extracellular regions. These findings collectively suggest that the cellular transport of uranium is a rapid process that disturbs cell metabolism and induces cytotoxicity, and this impact could be reduced by slowing down endocytic processes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In vivo studies were performed to evaluate the organ specific tissue accumulation and cellular toxicity of uranium to mud crab Scylla serrata. The specimens were acclimated in natural seawater and the exposure to 50-250 μg/L uranium was investigated up to 60 days. The present study examined the effects of concentration and duration of uranium exposure in the tissue of S. serrata at cellular and subcellular level using scanning electron microscopy and bright field transmission electron microscopy in addition to histological analysis. The results indicated that accumulation of U in S. serrata was organ specific and followed the order gills > hepatopancreas > muscle. The response of key antioxidant enzyme activities such as SOD, GPx and CAT in different organs of crabs indicated oxidative stress due to U in the ambient medium and tissue. At 50 and 100 μg/L of U exposure, individuals were able to acclimate the oxidative stress and withstand the uranium exposure. This acclimation could not be sustained at higher concentrations (250 μg/L), affecting the production of CAT in the tissues. Cellular and subcellular changes were observed in the hemocytes with reduction in their number in consonance with the antioxidant enzymes. Histological aberrations like lamellar disruption of gill, necrosis of hepatopancreas, disruption and rupture of muscle bundles were observed at different concentrations and were severe at higher concentration (250 μg/L). Necrosis was observed in the electron micrographs of tissues shortly after 15 days of exposure. SEM micrograph clearly shows disrupted lamellae, folding of marginal canal and reduction of inter lamellar spaces in the gills of crab exposed to high concentration of uranium. Mitochondrial anomalies are reported for the first time in the present study in addition to the subcellular changes and vacuoles on exposure uranium in the cells of gill and hepatopancreas., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This research provides a complete degradation scheme for acrylic copolymer/cellulose acetate butyrate peelable decontamination films. This study analyzed the removal efficiency of uranium by peelable decontamination film. More importantly, the degradability of the films was evaluated by a combined treatment with UV radiation and microbial biodegradation. The results showed that UV radiation would rupture the surface of the decontamination films, which leaded the weight-average molecular weight decreased by 55.3% and number-average molecular weight decreased by 75.83%. Additionally, the microbial flora induced light-degradable decontamination film weight-average molecular weight and number-average molecular weight decreased by 9.3% and 30.73%, respectively. 16S rRNA microbial diversity analysis indicated that Pantoea, Xylella, Cronobacter, and Olivibacter were the major degrading bacteria genera. Among them, 4 key strains that can be stripped of decontamination films have been isolated and identified from the dominant degrading bacteria group. The results show that UV radiation combined with microbial flora can achieve rapid degradation of the decontamination films., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The influence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the interaction between uranium [U(VI)] and Shewanella putrefaciens (S. putrefaciens), especially the U(VI) biomineralization process occurring on whole cells and cell components of S. putrefaciens was investigated in this study. The removal efficiency of U(VI) by S. putrefaciens was decreased by 22% after extraction of EPS. Proteins were identified as the main components of EPS by EEM analysis and were determined to play a major role in the biosorption of uranium. SEM-EDS results showed that U(VI) was distributed around the whole cell as 500-nanometer schistose structures, which consisted primarily of U and P. However, similar uranium lamellar crystal were wrapped only on the surface of EPS-free S. putrefaciens cells. FTIR and XPS analysis indicated that phosphorus- and nitrogen-containing groups played important roles in complexing U (VI). XRD and U L III -edge EXAFS analyses demonstrated that the schistose structure consisted of hydrogen uranyl phosphate [H 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 •8H 2 O]. Our study provides new insight into the mechanisms of induced uranium crystallization by EPS and cell wall membranes of living bacterial cells under aerobic conditions., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Endocytosis of metals in plants is a growing field of study involving metal uptake from the rhizosphere. Uranium, which is naturally and artificially released into the rhizosphere, is known to be taken up by certain species of plant, such as Nicotiana tabacum, and we hypothesize that endocytosis contributes to the uptake of uranium in tobacco. The endocytic uptake of uranium was investigated in tobacco BY-2 cells using an optimized setup of culture in phosphate-deficient medium. A combination of methods in biochemistry, microscopy and spectroscopy, supplemented by proteomics, were used to study the interaction of uranium and the plant cell. We found that under environmentally relevant uranium concentrations, endocytosis remained active and contributed to 14% of the total uranium bioassociation. Proteomics analyses revealed that uranium induced a change in expression of the clathrin heavy chain variant, signifying a shift in the type of endocytosis taking place. However, the rate of endocytosis remained largely unaltered. Electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed an adsorption of uranium to cell surfaces and deposition in vacuoles. Our results demonstrate that endocytosis constitutes a considerable proportion of uranium uptake in BY-2 cells, and that endocytosed uranium is likely targeted to the vacuole for sequestration, providing a physiologically safer route for the plant than uranium transported through the cytosol., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was planted in uranium-contaminated soil mixtures supplemented with different amounts of citric acid to investigate the defense strategies of perennial ryegrass against U and the enhanced mechanism of citric acid on the remediation efficiency in the laboratory. The uranium content in the plant tissues showed that the roots were the predominant tissue for uranium accumulation. In both root and shoot cells, the majority of U was located in the cell wall fraction. Furthermore, antioxidant enzymes were also stimulated when exposed to U stress. These results suggested that perennial ryegrass had evolved defense strategies, such as U sequestration in root tissue, compartmentalization in the cell wall, and antioxidant enzyme systems, to minimize uranium stress. For an enhanced mechanism, the optimal concentration of citric acid was 5 mmol/kg, and the removal efficiency of U in the shoots and roots increased by 47.37% and 30.10%, respectively. The treatment with 5 mmol/kg citric acid had the highest contents of photosynthetic pigment and soluble protein, the highest activity of antioxidant enzymes, and the lowest content of MDA (malondialdehyde) and relative electrical conductivity. Moreover, the TEM (transmission electron microscope) results revealed that after 5 mmol/kg citric acid was added, the cell structure of plant branches partially returned to normal, the number of mitochondria increased, chloroplast surfaces seemed normal, and the cell wall became visible. The damage to the cell ultrastructure of perennial ryegrass was significantly alleviated by treatment with 5 mmol/kg citric acid. All the results above indicated that perennial ryegrass could accumulate uranium with elevated uranium tolerance and enrichment ability with 5 mmol/kg citric acid., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The ability of some metal-reducing bacteria to produce a rough (no O-antigen) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could facilitate surface interactions with minerals and metal reduction. Consistent with this, the laboratory model metal reducer Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA produced two rough LPS isoforms (with or without a terminal methyl-quinovosamine sugar) when growing with the soluble electron acceptor fumarate but expressed only the shorter and more hydrophilic variant when reducing iron oxides. We reconstructed from genomic data conserved pathways for the synthesis of the rough LPS and generated heptosyltransferase mutants with partial (Δ rfaQ ) or complete (Δ rfaC ) truncations in the core oligosaccharide. The stepwise removal of the LPS core sugars reduced the hydrophilicity of the cell and increased outer membrane vesiculation. These changes in surface charge and remodeling did not substantially impact planktonic growth but disrupted the developmental stages and structure of electroactive biofilms. Furthermore, the mutants assembled conductive pili for extracellular mineralization of the toxic uranyl cation but were unable to prevent permeation and mineralization of the radionuclide in the cell envelope. Hence, not only does the rough LPS promote cell-cell and cell-mineral interactions critical to biofilm formation and metal respiration but it also functions as a permeability barrier to toxic metal cations. In doing so, the rough LPS maximizes the extracellular reduction of soluble and insoluble metals and preserves cell envelope functions critical to the environmental survival of Geobacter bacteria in metal-rich environments and their performance in bioremediation and bioenergy applications. IMPORTANCE Some metal-reducing bacteria produce an LPS without the repeating sugars (O-antigen) that decorate the surface of most Gram-negative bacteria, but the biological significance of this adaptive feature was not previously investigated. Using the model representative Geobacter sulfurreducens strain PCA and mutants carrying stepwise truncations in the LPS core sugars, we demonstrate the importance of the rough LPS in the control of cell surface chemistry during the respiration of iron minerals and the formation of electroactive biofilms. Importantly, we describe hitherto overlooked roles for the rough LPS in metal sequestration and outer membrane vesiculation that are critical for the extracellular reduction and detoxification of toxic metals and radionuclides. These results are of interest for the optimization of bioremediation schemes and electricity-harvesting platforms using these bacteria.

Indications of proximal tubule effects have been observed in recent surveillance study of Gulf War veterans exposed to depleted uranium (DU). This gives some support for the suspicion that DU may represent one of the causes for the so-called Persian Gulf syndrome. Proposed effects may be especially harmful if the toxicity hits the mitochondrial DNA since the mitochondria lack the nucleotide excision repair mechanism, which is needed for repairing bulky adducts that have been associated with DU. It is a plausible working hypothesis that a significant part of the symptoms from various organs, which have been observed among veterans from Gulf War 1 and that have been grouped under the name of the Persian Gulf syndrome, may be explained as a consequence of mitochondrial DNA damage in various cell types and organs. Interpretation of observations, on military personnel and civilians after Gulf War 1, is associated with difficulties because of the abundance of potential confounding factors. The symptoms observed on veterans from Gulf War 1 may be attributed to a multiplicity of substances functioning directly or indirectly as mitochondrial mutagens. A concise analysis of the cascade of toxic effects initiated by DU exposure in the human body is the subject of this article. • Depleted uranium (DU) is both a chemo-toxic and a radiotoxic element. • DU may be one of the causes for the so-called Gulf War illness (GWI). • Proposed effects of DU may be especially harmful if mitochondrial DNA is damaged. • The symptoms of GWI may be explained by the influence of mitochondrial mutagens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-vivo lung monitoring is an important technique for the assessment of internal dose of radiation workers handling actinides. At BARC, counting efficiencies (CEs) of detection systems used for estimation of natural uranium in the lungs are evaluated using realistic thorax physical phantoms or computational voxel phantoms. The quantification of 238 U and 235 U in lungs is done using CEs determined at 63.3 keV and 185.7 keV photon energies respectively. These CEs can also be used for assessment of enriched uranium in the lungs of the workers. In this study, spectra are generated for HPGe array detectors using Monte Carlo simulations of various enriched uranium compositions distributed in the lungs of thorax voxel phantom. A methodology is developed to predict the 235 U enrichment from lung spectrum analysis using the ratio of net counts in 185.7 keV and 63.3 keV energy regions. It is possible to estimate enrichments in the range of 2%-30% using the developed method with less than ±9% error. Finally, effect of 235 U enrichment on dose assessment using lung monitoring method is studied., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The importance of incorporating kinetic approaches in order to gain information on underlying physiological processes explaining species sensitivity to environmental stressors has been highlighted in recent years. Uranium is present in the aquatic environment worldwide due to naturally occurring and anthropogenic sources, posing a potential risk to freshwater taxa in contaminated areas. Although literature shows that organisms vary widely with respect to susceptibility to U, information on toxicokinetics that may explain the variation in toxicodynamic responses is scarce. In the present work, Daphnia magna were exposed to a range of environmentally relevant U concentrations (0 - 200 µg L -1 ) followed by a 48 h depuration phase to obtain information on toxicokinetic parameters and toxic responses. Results showed time-dependent and concentration-dependent uptake of U in daphnia (k u  = 1.2 - 3.8 L g -1 day -1 ) with bioconcentration factors (BCFs) ranging from 1,641 - 5,204 (L kg -1 ), a high depuration rate constant (k e  = 0.75 day -1 ), the majority of U tightly bound to the exoskeleton (~ 50 - 60%) and maternal transfer of U (1 - 7%). Effects on growth, survivorship and major ion homeostasis strongly correlated with exposure (external or internal) and toxicokinetic parameters (uptake rates, k u , BCF), indicating that uptake and internalization drives U toxicity responses in D. magna. Interference from U with ion uptake pathways and homeostasis was highlighted by the alteration in whole-body ion concentrations, their ionic ratios (e.g., Ca:Mg and Na:K) and the increased expression in some ion regulating genes. Together, this work adds to the limited data examining U kinetics in freshwater taxa and, in addition, provides perspective on factors influencing stress, toxicity and adaptive response to environmental contaminants such as uranium., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)