A new proposal regarding the transport mechanism of mercury in biological membranes

The mechanism for the uptake of Hg2+ in biological membranes. The mercury crosses the lysosomal membrane in the form of the electroneutral Hg(OH)2 compound. The mechanism is similar to that proposed for the uptake of weak permanent bases and the driving force for the uptake is the acidic pH (4.2) in the lysosomal membrane.