Conexiant
Login
  • The Analytical Scientist
  • The Cannabis Scientist
  • The Medicine Maker
  • The Ophthalmologist
  • The Pathologist
  • The Traditional Scientist
The Analytical Scientist
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Latest
    • News & Research
    • Trends & Challenges
    • Keynote Interviews
    • Opinion & Personal Narratives
    • Product Profiles
    • App Notes

    Featured Topics

    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy

    Issues

    • Latest Issue
    • Archive
  • Topics

    Techniques & Tools

    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy
    • Microscopy
    • Sensors
    • Data and AI

    • View All Topics

    Applications & Fields

    • Clinical
    • Environmental
    • Food, Beverage & Agriculture
    • Pharma and Biopharma
    • Omics
    • Forensics
  • People & Profiles

    People & Profiles

    • Power List
    • Voices in the Community
    • Sitting Down With
    • Authors & Contributors
  • Business & Education

    Business & Education

    • Innovation
    • Business & Entrepreneurship
    • Career Pathways
  • Events
    • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Multimedia
    • Video
Subscribe
Subscribe

False

The Analytical Scientist / Issues / 2024 / Nov / SAM I Am
Spectroscopy Environmental

SAM I Am

X-ray absorption spectroscopy breakthrough identifies S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the driver of mercury methylation – key to understanding methylmercury toxicity

11/27/2024 1 min read

Share

In a step toward understanding and mitigating methylmercury poisoning, researchers have identified S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as the unexpected methyl donor in the biological process that converts inorganic mercury into its most toxic form. The discovery sheds light on how microbes create methylmercury – a compound linked to severe neurological damage and environmental persistence.

The study, led by scientists from the University of Michigan in collaboration with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, used advanced X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) to probe the process. “Nobody knew how mercury is methylated biologically,” said Riti Sarangi, a senior scientist at SSRL and co-author of the study, in a press release. “We need to understand that fundamental process before we can develop an effective methylmercury remediation strategy. This study is a step toward that.”

Mercury, a pollutant from industrial emissions, becomes far more dangerous when microbes convert it into methylmercury. This compound accumulates in aquatic food webs, ultimately reaching humans through seafood. The transformation relies on a protein system called HgcAB, which has been notoriously difficult to study due to its scarcity, sensitivity to oxygen and light, and complex purification requirements.

Over a decade-long effort, the research team developed a protocol to produce and stabilize HgcAB in sufficient quantities for detailed analysis. The samples, cooled by liquid nitrogen and shielded from light, were transported to SSRL for examination. There, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy enabled the team to identify SAM as the source of the methyl group transferred to mercury. This finding overturned previous theories that implicated methyltetrahydrofolate (Me-THF) as the methyl donor.

The discovery has significant implications for environmental science. “No one has tried it yet, but perhaps analogs of SAM could be developed to address methylmercury in the environment,” said Steve Ragsdale, a professor at the University of Michigan. 

Newsletters

Receive the latest analytical science news, personalities, education, and career development – weekly to your inbox.

Newsletter Signup Image

False

Advertisement

Recommended

False

Related Content

The Analytical Scientist Innovation Awards 2024: #3
Spectroscopy
The Analytical Scientist Innovation Awards 2024: #3

December 6, 2024

4 min read

Bruker’s multiphoton microscopy module, OptoVolt, ranks third in our Innovation Awards. Here, Jimmy Fong, product development lead, walks us through the major moments during development.

More Bang for Your Buck
Spectroscopy
More Bang for Your Buck

December 4, 2024

1 min read

Researchers develop more stable catalysts for dry reforming of methane – a promising method for carbon capture and utilization (CCU)

The Analytical Scientist Innovation Awards 2024: #1
Spectroscopy
The Analytical Scientist Innovation Awards 2024: #1

December 10, 2024

2 min read

And the technology ranked first in our 2024 Innovation Awards is…

The Analytical Scientist Innovation Awards 2024
Spectroscopy
The Analytical Scientist Innovation Awards 2024

December 11, 2024

10 min read

Meet the products – and the experts – defining analytical innovation in 2024

False

The Analytical Scientist
Subscribe

About

  • About Us
  • Work at Conexiant Europe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 Texere Publishing Limited (trading as Conexiant), with registered number 08113419 whose registered office is at Booths No. 1, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford, England, WA16 8GS.