Transgenic plants as sensors of environmental pollution genotoxicity
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Date
2008
Authors
Kovalchuk, Igor
Kovalchuk, Olga
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
M D P I A G
Abstract
Rapid technological development is inevitably associated with many
environmental problems which primarily include pollution of soil, water and air. In many
cases, the presence of contamination is difficult to assess. It is even more difficult to
evaluate its potential danger to the environment and humans. Despite the existence of
several whole organism-based and cell-based models of sensing pollution and evaluation
of toxicity and mutagenicity, there is no ideal system that allows one to make a quick and
cheap assessment. In this respect, transgenic organisms that can be intentionally altered to
be more sensitive to particular pollutants are especially promising. Transgenic plants
represent an ideal system, since they can be grown at the site of pollution or potentially
dangerous sites. Plants are ethically more acceptable and esthetically more appealing than
animals as sensors of environmental pollution. In this review, we will discuss various
transgenic plant-based models that have been successfully used for biomonitoring
genotoxic pollutants. We will also discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks of these
systems and describe some novel ideas for the future generation of efficient transgenic
phytosensors.
Description
Open access
Keywords
Transgenic phytosensor , Plant biosensor , Arabidopsis thaliana , Nicotiana tabacum , Environmental pollution , Heavy metal , Radioactive contamination
Citation
Kovalchuk, I., & Kovalchuk, O. (2008). Transgenic plants as sensors of environmental pollution genotoxicity. Sensors, 8, 1539-1558. Retrieved from http://www.mdpi.org/sensors