Genes conferring mercury resistance have been investigated in a variety of bacteria and archaea but not in bacteria of the phylum Bacteroidetes, despite their importance in many environments. We found, however, that a marine gliding Bacteroidetes species, Tenacibaculum discolor, was the predominant mercury‐resistant bacterial taxon cultured from a salt marsh fertilized with mercury‐contaminated sewage sludge. Here we report characterization of the mercuric reductase and the narrow‐spectrum mercury resistance (mer) operon from one of these strains – T. discolor 9A5. This mer operon, which confers mercury resistance when cloned into Flavobacterium johnsoniae, encodes a novel mercury‐responsive ArsR/SmtB family transcriptional regulator that appears to have evolved independently from other mercury‐responsive regulators, a novel putative transport protein consisting of a fusion between the integral membrane Hg(II) transporter MerT and the periplasmic Hg(II)‐binding protein MerP, an additional MerP protein, and a mercuric reductase that is phylogenetically distinct from other known mercuric reductases.

As a director of a community-based organization who works predominantly with immigrants and refugees, Lucy Morse Roberts noticed immigrant clients and colleagues were often experiencing ill-defined malaise, headaches, and insomnia. After visiting doctors, the immigrant clients and colleagues were still unwell. She and her team sought to understand and address this suffering and seek ways to heal. Research on migratory mournings by Joseba Achotegui offered her team one lens through which to understand and better respond to the physical and psychological ailments experienced by immigrant and refugee clients. Achotegui’s research, including that on the Ulysses Syndrome and cultural and situational responsiveness, directly changed the programming and priorities at Hui International under Lucy Morse Roberts’ leadership. This article first defines migratory mournings and the Ulysses Syndrome. Second, the article offers community partners’ personal and professional insight as to how and why this research is relevant and transformative. Lastly, the article offers an organizational framework for effective application and intentional community engagement.