Direct Uptake and Intracellular Dissolution of HgS Nanoparticles: Evidence from a Bacterial Biosensor Approach

Mercury sulfide nanoparticles (HgS_NPs), which occur widely in oxic and anoxic environments, can be microbially converted to highly toxic methylmercury or volatile elemental mercury, but it remains challenging to assess their bioavailability. In this study, an Escherichia coli-based whole-cell fluorescent biosensor was developed to explore the bioavailability and microbial activation process of HgS_NPs. Results show that HgS_NPs (3.17 ± 0.96 nm) trigger a sharp increase in fluorescence intensity of the biosensor, with signal responses almost equal to that of ionic Hg (Hg(II)) within 10 h, indicating high bioavailability of HgS_NP. The intracellular total Hg (THg) of cells exposed to HgS_NPs (200 μg L^–1) was 3.52–8.59-folds higher than that of cells exposed to Hg(II) (200 μg L^–1), suggesting that intracellular HgS_NPs were only partially dissolved. Speciation analysis using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed that the bacterial filtrate was not responsible for HgS_NP dissolution, suggesting that HgS_NPs entered cells in nanoparticle form. Combined with fluorescence intensity and intracellular THg analysis, the intracellular HgS_NP dissolution ratio was estimated at 22–29%. Overall, our findings highlight the rapid internalization and high intracellular dissolution ratio of HgS_NPs by E. coli, and intracellular THg combined with biosensors could provide innovative tools to explore the microbial uptake and dissolution of HgS_NPs.