Arsenic biotransformation in the gut of soil fauna

Arsenic (As) is widely distributed in the environment and can be bio-accumulated through the food web. Most previous studies concentrated on As bioconcentration and toxicity to plants, animals, environment microbiota and humans. Few studies focus on As biotransformation in the gut of soil fauna and the effect of the transformation on the gut microbiota and the host. Recently, we systematically studied As biotransformation mediated by gut microbiota of earthworm and the effect of As on the microbiota. In addition, As reduction and methylation mediated by the gut microbiota exerted a critical influence on the reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that gut microbiota of soil fauna is a hidden but critical hotspot of As biotransformation, and our studies provided new insights into the relationship between As toxicity and gut microbiome of soil fauna. Future works will focus on how the gut microbiota is involved in the degradation of organoarsenicals.