Jerry Schnoor has been a foundational researcher in the field of phytoremediation and his pioneering work has inspired generations in the field. In this work, I present applications of high -resolution mass spectrometry and pollutant metabolomics to discover novel products and new pathways for plant transformation of emerging contaminants. This work has demonstrated that some contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) can be rapidly and actively taken up by plants to bypass Phase I metabolism to be directed conjugated. Furthermore, some compounds that are glycosylated via Phase II plant metabolism are subsequently excreted / released from the plant, much like an animal liver detoxification. These discoveries have challenged the status quo paradigm within phytoremediation that conjugated products are sequestered into irreversibly bound residues; however, these discoveries have been subsequently verified by other researchers. Plant release of transformed CECs has exposure implications because conjugated metabolites that are subsequently released could back-transform by bacteria (e.g., de-glycosylation) or evade detection via metabolite masking. Our work has also demonstrated that some CECs can enter the plant tryptophan biosynthesis pathway and may generate amino-acid conjugates that structurally resemble plant hormones (auxins) but do not become integrated into proteins. Ongoing work examines plant uptake of biocides from consumer-product biocides and fungicides to elucidate structural moieties with a propensity for active plant uptake. This research applies the growing field of high-resolution mass spectrometry to understand novel plant transformation products and pathways, with implications for water recycling in food crops, phytoremediation, and emerging contaminant fate.<br/>

New frontiers in plant uptake and transformation of emerging contaminants

2019 Spring National Meeting

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