Elucidation of the aetiology and effective treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders is one of the challenges today. In this metallomics study for 2,550 children with autistic disorders aged 0–15 years, we demonstrate a remarkable molybdenum overload correlated to zinc deficiency. Histogram of scalp hair molybdenum concentration was log-normal distributed with the geometric mean of 62.0 ng/g (ppb), and 921 individuals (36.1 %) were found to have high molybdenum concentrations over 72.0 ppb that is the +2 S.D. threshold level in the reference range. In particular, the incidence rate of molybdenum overload in the infantile group aged 0–3 years was estimated 54.0 % (430 in 797) in male and 62.6 % (92 in 147) in female. Higher molybdenum concentrations over 116 ppb of the +3 S.D. level were detected at the rate of 18.7 and 21.8 % in male and female infant group aged 0–3 years, respectively. Interestingly, a high significant inverse relationship between molybdenum and zinc concentration (r = −0.510, p < 0.0001) was observed, with no significant association between molybdenum and copper (r = 0.058, p > 0.05). These findings suggest that the molybdenum overload in the children with autistic disorders is closely associated with zinc deficiency and maybe contributes to the aetiology of the neurodevelopmental disorders. We hope that evidence-based supplementation of the deficit minerals to individual leads to a precision intervention/treatment of the children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Arsenite [As(III)] is a toxic metalloid widely present in the environment, and the development of cost-effective and sensitive microbial biosensors for As(III) detection is crucial for environmental monitoring. In this study, we designed a novel whole-cell biosensor based on the LuxR protein, which aggregates in response to As(III), triggering a switch-off output. To enhance the sensitivity of the sensor, the super-repressor mutant ArsR_C34Y and LuxR were combined to suppress the expression of the As(III) efflux pump ArsB. This modification resulted in a pronounced shift toward the OFF-type response. By introducing GlpF (an As(III) importer) and ArsB in the system, we demonstrated that the key to enhancing sensor sensitivity is efficiently modulating intracellular As(III) levels. Our findings show that the threshold for OFF-type switching remains constant at approximately 50–80 ag per cell, regardless of external As(III) concentration. This study provides novel insights into the quantitative relationship between intracellular As(III) levels and sensor output, offering a useful platform for future As(III) monitoring applications.