Applications of Yeasts in Heavy Metal Remediation
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe review by Shao et al. is devoted to the analysis of various aspects of heavy metal biosorption by yeast during bioremediation. The work certainly deserves attention and contains extremely important information regarding the possibility of yeast organisms using in cleaning various environments from contaminants.
I have no fundamental comments. There are 2 wishes that can improve and supplement the presented material.
1) The authors briefly touch upon aspects of metal ion detoxification in the cell, mentioning mainly the glutathione system. However, I would like to see a more detailed description of the main mechanisms of deactivation and conversion of metals into non-toxic compounds, in particular, what role antioxidant systems can play in these processes.
2) The authors describe in detail all methods of sorption of heavy metal ions, however, almost do not mention the methods of further use of microbial biomass for the extraction of metals that have high applicability in industry, in particular, cadmium. This addition would be very appropriate in section 4. Industrial applications.
Other requests - Figure 2. It would be better to present it as a figure (picture).
In my opinion, references for 2023, 2024 and 2025 should be added, possibly sacrificing some older sources of literature.
I also recommend correcting some unfortunate expressions, for example,
intracellular cell organelles and extracellular …
As a member of the fungal kingdom, yeast cell wall constitutes a portion…
There are various transporters in yeast cells to transport HMs ions.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Moderate editing
Author Response
Please refer to the attached file for the point-by-point responses.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors of the manuscript Applications of Yeasts in Heavy Metal Remediation highlight the capabilities of yeasts in the bioremediation of heavy metals due to advantages such as simple cultivation, rapid growth cycles, and genetic stability. The main mechanisms involved are described: passive adsorption via the cell wall and extracellular polymeric substances, as well as active intracellular accumulation. Additionally, the article mentions industrial applications of these methods and outlines future perspectives.
The manuscript is well-documented, with a clear structure and a rich, up-to-date, and relevant bibliography.
The language used is appropriate for a scientific journal, and the presentation of the mechanisms is detailed and comprehensive.
Some details regarding the practical limitations are missing, such as the potential secondary toxicity of metal-laden yeasts and how to handle/separate the yeasts from the adsorption environment. Similarly, information about the binding energy of metal ions to the analyzed microorganisms would be valuable.
In some cases, the authors refer to ion adsorption without specifying the oxidation state or clarifying that they are referring to ions. I would suggest making these corrections for better clarity.
I propose the manuscript for publication with minor revisions.
Author Response
Please refer to the attached file for the point-by-point responses.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authorssee attached comments
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please refer to the attached file for the point-by-point responses.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI thank the authors for the work done and the improvements made to the manuscript. I am satisfied with the responses to my comments and believe that the manuscript in its present form can be accepted for publication.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageModerate editing
Author Response
Please refer to the attached file for the point-by-point responses.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authorssee attached comments
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please refer to the attached file for the point-by-point responses.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
