M8 PM Chiral Chemistry: Toxicology of Environmental Contaminants and Phase Transfer
Monday, 14 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in 337-338

(EIT-1117-219445) Uptake of chiral and achiral chlordane components by ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana .

Eitzer, B¹, Mattina, M.J.¹, Iannucci-Berger, W.¹, ¹ The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

ABSTRACT- The use of plants to remediate soil contaminated with organic compounds has long been a goal. However, it has been predicted that many organic chemicals have sufficiently large Kow (log Kow>3) that uptake by plants should be precluded. In studies over the past several years our laboratory has found that some species of plants, such as Cucurbitacea have a unique ability to uptake organic chemicals from soil despite the fact that these chemicals have large Kow's. We are now trying to understand the mechanisms that control this uptake. The genomics of Arabidopsis thaliana has been well characterized. Studies of uptake by Arabidopsis thaliana could therefore lead to insights in genomic characteristics controlling uptake, which in-turn could lead to improved plants for phytoremediation. Chiral gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry is used to determine the concentration of chiral and achiral components of chlordane in the soil and vegetation growing in that soil. Tracking of chiral components leads to insight on the movement of these chemicals. Bioaccumulation by Arabidopsis thaliana will be reported and compared to the uptake of these same components by Cucurbitacea.

Key words: chlordane, chiral, GC/MS, plant uptake