Editing Tellurium (section)

==Biological role==
Tellurium has no known biological function, although fungi can incorporate it in place of sulfur and selenium into amino acids such as [[tellurocysteine]] and [[telluromethionine]].<ref name="tellurium-fungi">{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1007/BF02917437|title = Incorporation of tellurium into amino acids and proteins in a tellurium-tolerant fungi|date = 1989|last1 = Ramadan|first1 = Shadia E.|last2 = Razak|first2 = A. A.|last3 = Ragab|first3 = A. M.|last4 = El-Meleigy|first4 = M.|journal = Biological Trace Element Research|volume = 20|pages = 225–32|pmid = 2484755|issue = 3| bibcode=1989BTER...20..225R |s2cid = 9439946}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Rahman, Atta-ur|title=Studies in Natural Products Chemistry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Ugmrew2EqEC&pg=PA905|date=2008|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-444-53181-0|pages=905–}}</ref> Organisms have shown a highly variable tolerance to tellurium compounds. Many bacteria, such as ''[[Pseudomonas aeruginosa]]'' and ''[[Gayadomonas]]'' sp, take up tellurite and reduce it to elemental tellurium, which accumulates and causes a characteristic and often dramatic darkening of cells.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=C-di-GMP regulates ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' stress response to tellurite during both planktonic and biofilm modes of growth |journal=Scientific Reports |year=2015 |doi=10.1038/srep10052 |pmid=25992876 |pmc=4438720 |volume=5 |pages=10052|bibcode=2015NatSR...510052C |last1=Chua |first1=Song Lin |last2=Sivakumar |first2=Krishnakumar |last3=Rybtke |first3=Morten |last4=Yuan |first4=Mingjun |last5=Andersen |first5=Jens Bo |last6=Nielsen |first6=Thomas E. |last7=Givskov |first7=Michael |last8=Tolker-Nielsen |first8=Tim |last9=Cao |first9=Bin |last10=Kjelleberg |first10=Staffan |last11=Yang |first11=Liang }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Abd El-Ghany |first1=Mohamed N. |last2=Hamdi |first2=Salwa A. |last3=Korany |first3=Shereen M. |last4=Elbaz |first4=Reham M. |last5=Farahat |first5=Mohamed G. |date=2023-02-22 |title=Biosynthesis of Novel Tellurium Nanorods by Gayadomonas sp. TNPM15 Isolated from Mangrove Sediments and Assessment of Their Impact on Spore Germination and Ultrastructure of Phytopathogenic Fungi |journal=Microorganisms |language=en |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=558 |doi=10.3390/microorganisms11030558 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-2607 |pmc=10053417 |pmid=36985132}}</ref> In yeast, this reduction is mediated by the [[sulfate assimilation pathway]].<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1128/EC.00078-10|title = Sulfate assimilation mediates tellurite reduction and toxicity in ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae''|first1 = L. G.|last1 = Ottosson|pmid = 20675578|first2 = K.|last2 = Logg|first3 = S.|last3 = Ibstedt|first4 = P.|last4 = Sunnerhagen|first5 = M.|last5 = Käll|first6 = A.|last6 = Blomberg|first7 = J.|last7 = Warringer|journal = Eukaryotic Cell|date = 2010|volume = 9|issue = 10|pages = 1635–47|pmc=2950436}}</ref> Tellurium accumulation seems to account for a major part of the toxicity effects. Many organisms also metabolize tellurium partly to form dimethyl telluride, although dimethyl ditelluride is also formed by some species. Dimethyl telluride has been observed in [[hot spring]]s at very low concentrations.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1021/cr010210+|title = Biomethylation of Selenium and Tellurium: Microorganisms and Plants|first1 = Thomas G.|last1 = Chasteen|pmid = 12517179|first2 = Ronald|last2 = Bentley|journal = Chemical Reviews|date = 2003|volume = 103|issue = 1|pages = 1–26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|doi =10.1007/BF02785282|title =Biochemistry of tellurium|date =1996|last1 =Taylor|first1 =Andrew|journal =Biological Trace Element Research|volume =55|pages =231–9|pmid =9096851|issue =3|bibcode =1996BTER...55..231T|s2cid =10691234}}</ref>

[[Tellurite agar]] is used to identify members of the [[corynebacterium]] genus, most typically ''[[Corynebacterium diphtheriae]]'', the pathogen responsible for [[diphtheria]].<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1017/S0022172400065025|title = Diphtheria in Europe|journal = The Journal of Hygiene|date = 1984|volume = 93|issue = 3|last = Kwantes|first = W.|pages = 433–437|pmid = 6512248|pmc = 2129475|jstor=3862778}}</ref>