The exact mechanism used by microorganisms to produce the neurotoxin methyl mercury is unclear. The latest laboratory studies point to the amino acid cysteine as an important aid for the uptake of inorganic mercury and its transformation to methyl mercury in Geobacter sulfurreducens.
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Sparling, R. Mercury methylation made easy. Nature Geosci 2, 92–93 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo428
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo428
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