ABSTRACT
Metal pollution is an ongoing global problem that affects all living organisms. Bioremediation provides an environmentally friendly tool to manage metal pollutants. This process does not only render the toxic metals biologically inactive but also helps confine these pollutants to a very limited area. However, to be effective and operate in a natural environment, the metabolic networks that enable microbes to process these metals need to be properly fine-tuned. In this review, the pivotal role metabolism plays in ensuring the decontamination of a multiple-metal environment is elaborated. The enzymes, transport systems, metabolites, and cofactors that participate in the uptake, transformation, binding, and immobilization of the metals are discussed, and the biological processes that orchestrate a constant supply of these moieties are unraveled. For instance, the reprogramming of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glyoxylate shunt, glycolysis, and pentose phosphate pathway aimed at generating oxalate, NADPH, ATP, and lipids that are essential in the elimination and sequestration of Al, Ga, Zn, Fe, and Ca is delineated. Hence, metabolic engineering is a crucial component of bioremediation technology and its success.
