文摘
The recent identification of a novel sulfonated metaboliteof alachlor in groundwater and metolachlor in soilis likely the result of glutathione conjugation.Glutathioneconjugation is an important biochemical reactionthat leads, in the case of alachlor, to the formation ofa rather difficult to detect, water-soluble, and thereforehighly mobile, sulfonated metabolite. Research fromweed science, toxicology, and biochemistry isdiscussed to support the hypothesis that glutathioneconjugation is a potentially important detoxificationpathway carried out by aquatic and terrestrial plantsand soil microorganisms. A brief review of thebiochemical basis for glutathione conjugation ispresented. We recommend that multidisciplinaryresearch focus on the occurrence and expression ofglutathione and its attendant enzymes in plants andmicroorganisms, relationships between electrophilicsubstrate structure and enzyme activity, and thepotential exploitation of plants and microorganisms thatare competent in glutathione conjugation for phytoremediation and bioremediation.