Arsenate detoxification in a Pseudomonad hypertolerant to arsenic

Improvement of Arsenic Tolerance and Removal Ability of Multi-stress-tolerant Pichia kudriavzevii A16 by Salt Preincubation

Arsenic (As) exists widely in the environment and its strong toxicity endangers human health, causing widespread concern. Microbial adsorption technology plays an important role in As removal due to its advantages of high safety, low pollution, and low cost. The removal of As by active microorganisms requires not only good accumulation characteristics but also high As tolerance. The effect of salt preincubation on arsenate [As(V)] tolerance and bioaccumulation of Pichia kudriavzevii A16 and the possible mechanisms were studied. Salt preincubation improved the As(V) tolerance and bioaccumulation ability of the yeast. After Na₅P₃O₁₀ preincubation, the proportion of dead cells and cells with high reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation decreased from 50.88% and 16.54% to 14.60% and 5.24%, respectively. In addition, the As removal rate significantly increased from 26.20% to 57.98%. The preincubated cells showed stronger As(V) tolerance and removal ability. The potential of use in complex environment to remove As(V) as well as the mechanisms involved in As(V) tolerance by yeast will be discussed.

Biogeochemical behavior and pollution control of arsenic in mining areas: A review

Arsenic (As) is one of the most toxic metalloids that possess many forms. As is constantly migrating from abandoned mining area to the surrounding environment in both oxidation and reducing conditions, threatening human health and ecological safety. The biogeochemical reaction of As included oxidation, reduction, methylation, and demethylation, which is closely associated with microbial metabolisms. The study of the geochemical behavior of arsenic in mining areas and the microbial remediation of arsenic pollution have great potential and are hot spots for the prevention and remediation of arsenic pollution. In this study, we review the distribution and migration of arsenic in the mining area, focus on the geochemical cycle of arsenic under the action of microorganisms, and summarize the factors influencing the biogeochemical cycle of arsenic, and strategies for arsenic pollution in mining areas are also discussed. Finally, the problems of the risk control strategies and the future development direction are prospected.

A combined study on Vallisneria spiralis and lanthanum modified bentonite to immobilize arsenic in sediments

Submerged plants and lanthanum-modified bentonite (LMB) have important applications for the remediation of contaminated sediments; however, their combined effect on arsenic (As) removal has not been comprehensively evaluated. In this study, the physicochemical properties and changes in soluble As in sediments treated with LMB, Vallisneria spiralis (V. spiralis), and LMB + V. spiralis were observed at three time points (days 15, 35, and 66), and the changes in microbial and As species in sediments on day 66 were analyzed. LMB + V. spiralis treatment was the most effective for As removal. On day 66, the average concentrations of soluble As at a depth of 0-100 mm decreased by 12.71%, 48.81%, and 59.73% following treatment with LMB, V. spiralis, and LMB + V. spiralis, respectively. Further analysis showed that LMB is more effective at removing As(V) than V. spiralis, while V. spiralis is more effective at removing As(III), and the combination of LMB + V. spiralis is more effective for removing both As(III) and As(V) than individual LMB and V. spiralis treatments. LMB + V. spiralis enhanced the transformation of mobile As to Fe₂O₃/oxyhydroxide-bound As in sediments and the activity of As-oxidizing microorganisms. LMB promoted the growth of V. spiralis and enhanced the removal of As. This study indicates that this combination is an effective method for removing mobile As from sediments, and could effectively inhibit the release of As from sediments to overlying water.

Arsenic shapes the microbial community structures in tungsten mine waste rocks

Tungsten (W) is a critical material that is widely used in military applications, electronics, lighting technology, power engineering and the automotive and aerospace industries. In recent decades, overexploitation of W has generated large amounts of mine waste rocks, which generate elevated content of toxic elements and cause serious adverse effects on ecosystems and public health. Microorganisms are considered important players in toxic element migrations from waste rocks. However, the understanding of how the microbial community structure varies in W mine waste rocks and its key driving factors is still unknown. In this study, high-throughput sequencing methods were used to determine the microbial community profiles along a W content gradient in W mine waste rocks. We found that the microbial community structures showed clear differences across the different W levels in waste rocks. Notably, arsenic (As), instead of W and nutrients, was identified as the most important predictor influencing microbial diversity. Furthermore, our results also showed that As is the most important environmental factor that regulates the distribution patterns of ecological clusters and keystone ASVs. Importantly, we found that the dominant genera have been regulated by As and were widely involved in As biogeochemical cycling in waste rocks. Taken together, our results have provided useful information about the response of microbial communities to W mine waste rocks.

The potential of Pseudomonas for bioremediation of oxyanions

Non-metal, metal and metalloid oxyanions occur naturally in minerals and rocks of the Earth's crust and are mostly found in low concentrations or confined in specific regions of the planet. However, anthropogenic activities including urban development, mining, agriculture, industrial activities and new technologies have increased the release of oxyanions to the environment, which threatens the sustainability of natural ecosystems, in turn affecting human development. For these reasons, the implementation of new methods that could allow not only the remediation of oxyanion contaminants but also the recovery of valuable elements from oxyanions of the environment is imperative. From this perspective, the use of microorganisms emerges as a strategy complementary to physical, mechanical and chemical methods. In this review, we discuss the opportunities that the Pseudomonas genus offers for the bioremediation of oxyanions, which is derived from its specialized central metabolism and the high number of oxidoreductases present in the genomes of these bacteria. Finally, we review the current knowledge on the transport and metabolism of specific oxyanions in Pseudomonas species. We consider that the Pseudomonas genus is an excellent starting point for the development of biotechnological approaches for the upcycling of oxyanions into added-value metal and metalloid byproducts.

Characterization of putative transcriptional regulator (PH0140) and its distal homologue

In this study, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using 1854 sequences of various Lrp/AnsC (FFRPs) and ArsR proteins from pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms. Despite having sequence similarities, FFRPs and ArsR proteins functioning differently as a transcriptional regulator and de-repressor in the presence of exogenous amino acids and metal ions, respectively. To understand these functional differences, the structures of various FFRPs and ArsR proteins (134 sequences) were modeled. Several ArsR proteins exhibited high similarity to the FFRPs while in few proteins, unusual structural folds were observed. However, the Helix-turn-Helix (HTH) domains are common among them and the ligand-binding domains are structurally dissimilar suggest the differences in their binding preferences. Despite low sequence conservation, most of these proteins revealed negatively charged surfaces in the active site pockets. Representative structures (PH0140 and TtArsR protein) from FFRPs and ArsR protein families were considered and evaluated for their functional differences using molecular modeling studies. Our earlier study has explained the binding preference of exogenous Tryptophan and the related transcriptional regulatory mechanism of PH0140 protein. In this study, a Cu²⁺ ion-induced de-repression mechanism of the TtArsR-DNA complex was characterized through docking and molecular dynamics. Further, the proteins were purified and their efficiency for sensing Tryptophan and Cu²⁺ ions were analyzed using cyclic voltammetry. Overall, the study explores the structural evolution and functional difference of FFRPs and ArsR proteins that present the possibilities of PH0140 and TtArsR as potential bio-sensory molecules.

Impact of Zero-Valent Iron on Freshwater Bacterioplankton Metabolism as Predicted from 16S rRNA Gene Sequence Libraries

The application of zero-valent iron particles (ZVI) for the treatment of heavily polluted environment and its biological effects have been studied for at least two decades. Still, information on the impact on bacterial metabolic pathways is lacking. This study describes the effect of microscale and nanoscale ZVI (mZVI and nZVI) on the abundance of different metabolic pathways in freshwater bacterial communities. The metabolic pathways were inferred from metabolism modelling based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data using paprica pipeline. The nZVI changed the abundance of numerous metabolic pathways compared to a less influencing mZVI. We identified the 50 most affected pathways, where 31 were related to degradation, 17 to biosynthesis, and 2 to detoxification. The linkage between pathways was two times higher in nZVI samples compared to mZVI, and was specifically higher considering the arsenate detoxification II pathway. Limnohabitans and Roseiflexus were linked to the same pathways in both nZVI and mZVI. The prediction of metabolic pathways increases our knowledge of the impacts of nZVI and mZVI on freshwater bacterioplankton.

Differential expression of proteins in Pseudomonas mendocina SMSKVR-3 under arsenate stress

This study focuses on analyzing the protein expression pattern of intracellular proteins when Pseudomonas mendocina SMSKVR-3 exposed to 300 mM of arsenate to find out the proteins that are overexpressed or exclusively expressed in response to arsenate. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of protein expression at different time intervals showed the highest number of protein bands (14) that are overexpressed at 8 h of the time interval. It was also observed that treatment with at least 200 mM of As(V) is required to induce a difference in protein expression. Two-dimensional (2D)-PAGE analysis of 8-h sample exhibited 146 unique spots, 45 underexpressed, and 46 overexpressed spots in arsenate-treated sample. Based on the highest percent volume and fold change, three unique spots and one overexpressed spot were selected and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis followed by the MASCOT search. These proteins were identified as ribosome-recycling factor (20.13 kDa), polyphosphate:ADP/GDP phosphotransferase (40.88 kDa), ribonuclease P protein component (14.96 kDa) and cobalt-precorrin-5B C(1)-methyltransferase (38.43 kDa) with MASCOT score of 54, 81, 94, and 100, respectively. All of these proteins help the bacteria to overcome arsenate stress.

Cellular response of Brevibacterium casei #NIOSBA88 to arsenic and chromium-a proteomic approach

Cellular response against different heavy metal stress differs with the metal. Arsenic and chromium are heavy metals and toxic to living systems. The concentration of these metals in seawater is very low. However, due to their solubility in nature, they actively enter cells via various transport mechanisms and cause damage to the cells. Brevibacterium casei #NIOSBA88, a marine-derived, gram-positive isolate was multi-metal tolerant. Proteomic analysis of this isolate in response to arsenic and chromium resulted in the identification of total 2549 proteins, out of which 880 proteins were found to be commonly expressed at 750 mgL^-1 arsenic and 100 mgL^-1 chromium and in absence of both the metals. In contrast, 533, 212, and 270 proteins were found to be unique in the absence of any metal, 750 mgL^-1 of arsenic and 100 mgL^-1 of chromium respectively. Proteins such as antibiotic biosynthesis monooxygenase, ArsR family transcriptional regulator, cytochrome C oxidase subunit II, and thioredoxin reductase were exclusively expressed only in response to arsenic and chromium. Other proteins like superoxide dismutase, lipid hydroperoxide reductase, and thioredoxin-disulfide reductase were found to be upregulated in response to both the metals. Most of the proteins involved in the normal cell functioning were found to be downregulated. Major metabolic functions affected include amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, translation, and energy metabolism. Peptide mass fingerprinting of Brevibacterium casei #NIOSBA88 exposed to arsenic and chromium respectively revealed the deleterious effect of these metals on the bacterium and its strategy to overcome the stress.

Identification of a New Heavy-Metal-Resistant Strain of Geobacillus stearothermophilus Isolated from a Hydrothermally Active Volcanic Area in Southern Italy

Microorganisms thriving in hot springs and hydrothermally active volcanic areas are dynamically involved in heavy-metal biogeochemical cycles; they have developed peculiar resistance systems to cope with such metals which nowadays can be considered among the most permanent and toxic pollutants for humans and the environment. For this reason, their exploitation is functional to unravel mechanisms of toxic-metal detoxification and to address bioremediation of heavy-metal pollution with eco-sustainable approaches. In this work, we isolated a novel strain of the thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus from the solfataric mud pool in Pisciarelli, a well-known hydrothermally active zone of the Campi Flegrei volcano located near Naples in Italy, and characterized it by ribotyping, 16S rRNA sequencing and mass spectrometry analyses. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) toward several heavy-metal ions indicated that the novel G. stearothermophilus isolate is particularly resistant to some of them. Functional and morphological analyses suggest that it is endowed with metal resistance systems for arsenic and cadmium detoxification.

Screening of plant growth promoting attributes and arsenic remediation efficacy of bacteria isolated from agricultural soils of Chhattisgarh

Arsenic (As) resistant indigenous bacteria with discrete minimum inhibitory concentration values for arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)] were isolated from the paddy fields of different regions of Chhattisgarh, India, following enrichment culture technique. Evaluation of the plant growth promoting (PGP) properties of the isolates revealed that two rod-shaped Gram-positive bacteria viz., ARP2 and ART2 acquired various PGP traits, including phosphate solubilization, production of siderophore, indole acetic acid, ammonia, and exopolysaccharide. Both the isolates significantly increased (40-80%) the root length of Oryza sativa L. even under As-exposure. Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene identified these isolates as Bacillus nealsonii strain ARP2 and Bacillus tequilensis strain ART2, respectively. Isolate ARP2 exhibited arsenate reductase activity thereby rapidly reduced As(V) into As(III), achieving a reduction rate of 37.5 μM min^-1. Alike, strain ART2 was capable of oxidizing As(III) into As(V) via arsenite oxidase enzyme, and revealed the oxidation rate of 21.8 μM min^-1. Quantitative estimation of As through atomic absorption spectrophotometer revealed that the isolates ARP2 and ART2 removed 93 ± 0.2% and 77 ± 0.14% of As(V) and As(III), respectively, from As-containing culture media. The FTIR analysis showed the interaction of As with the cell membrane and was further confirmed by SEM and TEM techniques, which marked the increase in cell volume owing to successive accumulation of As. The As-resistant and PGP properties of above two isolates demonstrates their potentiality for sustainable bioremediation of As, and establishment of flora in As-rich environment.

Heavy Metal Resistance by Endophytic Bacteria Isolated from Guava (Psidium Guajava) and Mango (Mangifera Indica) Leaves

Heavy metal resistant bacteria are widespread in nature and their application in decontamination of polluted ecosystems is promising. In this study, ability of endophytic bacteria isolated from Psidium guajava (Guava) and Mangifera indica (Mango) for heavy metal resistance was assessed. Leaves samples form the two plants were collected and processed according to the standard laboratory practices. Heavy metals were analyzed using Atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Endophytic bacteria were isolated and identified using morphological and biochemical characteristics; heavy metal resistance was determined by plate dilution method. Heavy metal analysis revealed that the leaves samples contained considerable quantities of Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) ranging from 1.21±1.6 mg/Kg (for Cd in Guava leaves) to 116.58±1.3 mg/Kg (for Mn in Mango leaves). A total of six bacterial species were isolated from both of the plants leaves (3 each). Guava endophytes were identified as Streptococcus sp, Staphylococcus albus and Staphylococcus seiuri whereas Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus xylulose and Staphylococcus intermedius were from Mango leaves. The identified isolates were tested for ability to resist heavy metals in-vitro and were capable of showing different patterns of resistance to MnCl2, PbCl2 and CdCl2.  All the endophytes were highly resistant to PbCl2 followed by MnCl2 but susceptible to CdCl2. The ability of plants and bacterial endophytes understudy to tolerate or resist heavy metals is a good indication of their phytoremediation potentials and thus, should be harnessed.

Arsenic-resistance mechanisms in bacterium Leclercia adecarboxylata strain As3-1: Biochemical and genomic analyses

Microbial arsenic transformation is important in As biogeochemical cycles in the environment. In this study, a new As-resistant bacterial strain Leclercia adecarboxylata As3-1 was isolated and its associated mechanisms in As resistance and detoxification were evaluated based on genome sequencing and gene annotations. After subjecting strain As3-1 to medium containing arsenate (AsV), AsV reduction occurred and an AsV-enhanced bacterial growth was observed. Strain As3-1 lacked arsenite (AsIII) oxidation ability and displayed lower AsIII resistance than AsV, probably due to its higher AsIII accumulation. Polymerase chain reaction and phylogenetic analysis showed that strain As3-1 harbored a typical AsV reductase gene (arsC) on the plasmids. Genome sequencing and gene annotations identified four operons phoUpstBACS, arsHRBC, arsCRDABC and ttrRSBCA, with 8 additional genes outside the operons that might have involved in As resistance and detoxification in strain As3-1. These included 5 arsC genes explaining why strain As3-1 tolerated high AsV concentrations. Besides ArsC, TtrB, TtrC and TtrA proteins could also be involved in AsV reduction and consequent energy acquisition for bacterial growth. Our data provided a new example of diverse As-regulating systems and AsV-enhanced growth without ArrA in bacteria. The information helps to understand the role of As in selecting microbial systems that can transform and utilize As.

Efficient arsenate reduction by As-resistant bacterium Bacillus sp. strain PVR-YHB1-1: Characterization and genome analysis

Arsenate (AsV) reduction in bacteria is essential to alleviate their arsenic (As) toxicity. We isolated a Bacillus strain PVR-YHB1-1 from the roots of As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. The strain was efficient in reducing AsV to arsenite (AsIII), but the associated mechanisms were unclear. Here, we investigated its As resistance and reduction behaviors and associated genes at genome level. Results showed that the strain tolerated up to 20 mM AsV. When grown in 1 mM AsV, 96% AsV was reduced to AsIII in 48 h, with its AsV reduction ability being positively correlated to bacterial biomass. Two ars operons arsRacr3arsCDA and arsRKacr3arsC for As metabolisms were identified based on draft genome sequencing and gene annotations. Our data suggested that both operons might have attributed to efficient As resistance and AsV reduction in PVR-YHB1-1, providing clues to better understand As transformation in bacteria and their roles in As transformation in the environment.

Differential protein expression in a marine-derived Staphylococcus sp. NIOSBK35 in response to arsenic(III)

Peptide mass fingerprinting of Gram-positive marine-derived Staphylococcus cohnii #NIOSBK35 gave us an insight into the proteins involved in conferring arsenic resistance as well as the probable metabolic pathways affected under metal stress. Analysis of the protein profiles obtained from LC/MS QToF (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Quadrupole Time of Flight) resulted in the identification of 689 proteins. Further grouping of these proteins based on the arsenic concentration (0, 250, 500 and 850 ppm) and the time points (6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 h) in growth phase showed that a total of 13 proteins were up-regulated, while 178 proteins were down-regulated across all the concentrations and time points. Arsenic specific proteins like arsenical pump-driving ATPase, ArsR family transcriptional regulator and arsenic operon resistance repressor were found to be highly up-regulated throughout all the conditions indicating their possible involvement in the tolerance to arsenic. MBL fold metallo-hydrolase, a known stress protein, was the only protein that was up-regulated at all time points across all arsenic concentrations. Metabolic pathways like translation, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, membrane transport, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, replication and repair, nucleotide metabolism along with stress proteins and hypothetical proteins were found to be significantly expressed. Our results also suggest that arsenic stress at higher levels is negatively affecting the expression of many normal functional proteins required for cell survival.

Recent advances in conventional and contemporary methods for remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils

Remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils has been drawing our attention toward it for quite some time now and a need for developing new methods toward reclamation has come up as the need of the hour. Conventional methods of heavy metal-contaminated soil remediation have been in use for decades and have shown great results, but they have their own setbacks. The chemical and physical techniques when used singularly generally generate by-products (toxic sludge or pollutants) and are not cost-effective, while the biological process is very slow and time-consuming. Hence to overcome them, an amalgamation of two or more techniques is being used. In view of the facts, new methods of biosorption, nanoremediation as well as microbial fuel cell techniques have been developed, which utilize the metabolic activities of microorganisms for bioremediation purpose. These are cost-effective and efficient methods of remediation, which are now becoming an integral part of all environmental and bioresource technology. In this contribution, we have highlighted various augmentations in physical, chemical, and biological methods for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils, weighing up their pros and cons. Further, we have discussed the amalgamation of the above techniques such as physiochemical and physiobiological methods with recent literature for the removal of heavy metals from the contaminated soils. These combinations have showed synergetic effects with a many fold increase in removal efficiency of heavy metals along with economic feasibility.

Arsenic and phosphate rock impacted the abundance and diversity of bacterial arsenic oxidase and reductase genes in rhizosphere of As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata

Microbially-mediated arsenic (As) transformation in soils affects As speciation and plant uptake. However, little is known about the impacts of As on bacterial communities and their functional genes in the rhizosphere of As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. In this study, arsenite (AsIII) oxidase genes (aroA-like) and arsenate (AsV) reductase genes (arsC) were amplified from three soils, which were amended with 50mgkg^-1 As and/or 1.5% phosphate rock (PR) and grew P. vittata for 90 d. The aroA-like genes in the rhizosphere were 50 times more abundant than arsC genes, consistent with the dominance of AsV in soils. According to functional gene alignment, most bacteria belonged to α-, β- and γ-Proteobacteria. Moreover, aroA-like genes showed a higher biodiversity than arsC genes based on clone library analysis and could be grouped into nine clusters based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Besides, AsV amendment elevated aroA-like gene diversity, but decreased arsC gene diversity. Redundancy analysis indicated that soil pH, available Ca and P, and AsV concentration were key factors driving diverse compositions in aroA-like gene community. This work identified new opportunities to screen for As-oxidizing and/or -reducing bacteria to aid phytoremediation of As-contaminated soils.

Isolation and characterization of arsenic resistant bacteria from wastewater

The present study proposed the isolation of arsenic resistant bacteria from wastewater. Only three bacterial isolates (MNZ1, MNZ4 and MNZ6) were able to grow in high concentrations of arsenic. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of arsenic against MNZ1, MNZ4 and MNZ6 were 300 mg/L, 300 mg/L and 370 mg/L respectively. The isolated strains showed maximum growth at 37 °C and at 7.0 pH in control but in arsenite stress Luria Bertani broth the bacterial growth is lower than control. All strains were arsenite oxidizing. All strains were biochemically characterized and ribotyping (16S rRNA) was done for the purpose of identification which confirmed that MNZ1 was homologous to Enterobacter sp. while MNZ4 and MNZ6 showed their maximum homology with Klebsiella pneumoniae. The protein profiling of these strains showed in arsenic stressed and non stressed conditions, so no bands of induced proteins appeared in stressed conditions. The bacterial isolates can be exploited for bioremediation of arsenic containing wastes, since they seem to have the potential to oxidize the arsenite (more toxic) into arsenate (less toxic) form.

Proteomics of arsenic stress in the gram-positive organism Exiguobacterium sp. PS NCIM 5463

The general responses of microorganisms to environmental onslaughts are modulated by altering the gene expression pattern to reduce damage in the cell and produce compensating stress responses. The present study attempts to unravel the response of the Gram-positive Exiguobacterium sp. PS NCIM 5463 in the presence of [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] using comparative proteomics via two-dimension gel electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with identification of proteins using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI-TOF/MALDI-TOF/TOF). Out of 926 Coomassie-stained proteins, 45 were differentially expressed (p < 0.05). Considering the resolution and abundance level, 24 spots (peptides) were subjected to MALDI analysis, identified and categorised into several functional categories, viz., nitrogen metabolism, energy and stress regulators, carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis components and others. A functional role of each protein is discussed in Exiguobacterium sp. PS 5463 under arsenic stress and validated at their transcript level using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Unlike previous reports that unravel the responses toward arsenic stress in Gram-negative organisms, the present study identified new proteins under arsenic stress in a Gram-positive organism, Exiguobacterium sp. PS NCIM 5463, which could elucidate the physiology of organisms under arsenic stress.

Assessment of solid phase microfiber extraction fibers for the monitoring of volatile organoarsinicals emitted from a plant-soil system

Phytoremediation, the use of plants and microbes to clean up inorganic and organic pollutants, has shown great promise as an inexpensive and feasible form of remediation. More recently, studies have shown that some plants have an amazing capacity to volatilize contaminants and can be an effective remediation strategy if the chemicals released are non-toxic. Arsenic contamination and remediation has drawn great attention in the scientific community. However, its toxicity also varies depending on its form. We evaluated, optimized, and then utilized a solid phase microfiber extraction (SPME) head space sampling technique to characterize the organoarsinical emissions from rabbitfoot grass (Polypogon monspeliensis) in arsenic treated soils to determine if the potentially more toxic organic forms of arsenic (AsH3, AsH2CH3, AsH(CH3)2, and As(CH3)3) were being emitted from the plant-soil system. The SPME fiber that proved best fitted for this application was the DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber with a 45 min sampling period. We did detect and confirm the emissions of dimethylchloroarsine (AsCl(CH3)2) and pentamethylarsine (As(CH3)5). However, it was determined that the more toxic organic forms of arsenic were not released during phytovolatilization.

A novel arsenate reductase from the bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27: its role in arsenic detoxification

Microorganisms living in arsenic-rich geothermal environments act on arsenic with different biochemical strategies, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for the resistance to the harmful effects of the metalloid have only partially been examined. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of arsenic resistance in the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27. This strain, originally isolated from a Japanese hot spring, exhibited tolerance to concentrations of arsenate and arsenite up to 20mM and 15mM, respectively; it owns in its genome a putative chromosomal arsenate reductase (TtarsC) gene encoding a protein homologous to the one well characterized from the plasmid pI258 of the Gram+bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Differently from the majority of microorganisms, TtarsC is part of an operon including genes not related to arsenic resistance; qRT-PCR showed that its expression was four-fold increased when arsenate was added to the growth medium. The gene cloning and expression in Escherichia coli, followed by purification of the recombinant protein, proved that TtArsC was indeed a thioredoxin-coupled arsenate reductase with a kcat/KM value of 1.2×10(4)M(-1)s(-1). It also exhibited weak phosphatase activity with a kcat/KM value of 2.7×10(-4)M(-1)s(-1). The catalytic role of the first cysteine (Cys7) was ascertained by site-directed mutagenesis. These results identify TtArsC as an important component in the arsenic resistance in T. thermophilus giving the first structural-functional characterization of a thermophilic arsenate reductase.

Arsenate reduction and methylation in the cells of Trichoderma asperellum SM-12F1, Penicillium janthinellum SM-12F4, and Fusarium oxysporum CZ-8F1 investigated with X-ray absorption near edge structure

Synchrotron radiation-based X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) was introduced to directly analysis chemical species of arsenic (As) in the cells of Trichoderma asperellum SM-12F1, Penicillium janthinellum SM-12F4, and Fusarium oxysporum CZ-8F1 capable of As accumulation and volatilisation. After exposure to As(V) of 500 mg L(-1) for 15 days, a total of 60.5% and 65.3% of the accumulated As in the cells of T. asperellum SM-12F1 and P. janthinellum SM-12F4, respectively, was As(III), followed by 31.3% and 32.4% DMA (dimethylarsinic acid), 8.3% and 2.3% MMA (monomethylarsonic acid), respectively. However, for F. oxysporum CZ-8F1, 54.5% of the accumulated As was As(III), followed by 37.8% MMA and 7.7% As(V). The reduction and methylation of As(V) formed As(III), MMA, and DMA as the primacy products, and the reduction of As(V) might be more easily processed than the methylation. These results will help to understanding the mechanisms of As detoxification and its future application in bioremediation.

Identification of novel virulence genes and metabolic pathways required for full fitness of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi in olive (Olea europaea) knots

Comparative genomics and functional analysis of Pseudomonas syringae and related pathogens have mainly focused on diseases of herbaceous plants; however, there is a general lack of knowledge about the virulence and pathogenicity determinants required for infection of woody plants. Here, we applied signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) to Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi during colonization of olive (Olea europaea) knots, with the goal of identifying the range of genes linked to growth and symptom production in its plant host. A total of 58 different genes were identified, and most mutations resulted in hypovirulence in woody olive plants. Sequence analysis of STM mutations allowed us to identify metabolic pathways required for full fitness of P. savastanoi in olive and revealed novel mechanisms involved in the virulence of this pathogen, some of which are essential for full colonization of olive knots by the pathogen and for the lysis of host cells. This first application of STM to a P. syringae-like pathogen provides confirmation of functional capabilities long believed to play a role in the survival and virulence of this group of pathogens but not adequately tested before, and unravels novel factors not correlated previously with the virulence of other plant or animal bacterial pathogens.

Arsenic Hyper-tolerance in Four Microbacterium Species Isolated from Soil Contaminated with Textile Effluent

Arsenic-contaminated areas of Sanganer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India were surveyed for the presence of metal resistant bacteria contaminated with textile effluent. Samples were collected from soil receiving regular effluent from the textile industries located at Sanganer area. The properties like pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, organic matter, exchangeable calcium, water holding capacity and metals like arsenic, iron, magnesium, lead and zinc were estimated in the contaminated soil. In total, nine bacterial strains were isolated which exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of arsenic ranging between 23.09 and 69.2mM. Four out of nine arsenic contaminated soil samples exhibited the presence of arsenite hyper-tolerant bacteria. Four high arsenite tolerant bacteria were characterized by 16S rDNA gene sequencing which revealed their similarity to Microbacterium paraoxydans strain 3109, Microbacterium paraoxydans strain CF36, Microbacterium sp. CQ0110Y, Microbacterium sp. GE1017. The above results were confirmed as per Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. All the four Microbacterium strains were found to be resistant to 100μg/ml concentration of cobalt, nickel, zinc, chromium selenium and stannous and also exhibited variable sensitivity to mercury, cadmium, lead and antimony. These results indicate that the arsenic polluted soil harbors arsenite hyper-tolerant bacteria like Microbacterium which might play a role in bioremediation of the soil.

Pentavalent arsenate reductase activity in cytosolic fractions of Pseudomonas sp., isolated from arsenic-contaminated sites of Tezpur, Assam

Pentavalent arsenate reductase activity was localized and characterized in vitro in the cytosolic fraction of a newly isolated bacterial strain from arsenic-contaminated sites. The bacterium was gram negative, rod-shaped, nonmotile, non-spore-forming, and noncapsulated, and the strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. DRBS1 following biochemical and molecular approaches. The strain Pseudomonas sp. DRBS1 exhibited enzymatic machinery for reduction of arsenate(V) to arsenite(III). The suspended culture of the bacterium reduced more than 97% of As(V) (40-100 mM) to As(III) in 48 h. The growth rate and total cellular yield decreased in the presence of higher concentration of arsenate. The suspended culture repeatedly reduced 10 mM As(V) within 5 h up to five consecutive inputs. The cell-free extracts reduced 86% of 100 microM As(V) in 40 min. The specific activity of arsenate reductase enzyme in the presence of 100 microM arsenate is 6.68 micromol/min per milligram protein. The arsenate reductase activity is maximum at 30 degrees C and at pH 5.2. The arsenate reductase activity increased in the presence of electron donors like citrate, glucose, and galactose and metal ions like Cd(+2), Cu(+2), Ca(+2), and Fe(+2). Selenate as an electron donor also supports the growth of strain DRBS1 and significantly increased the arsenate reduction.

Isolation and diversity analysis of arsenite-resistant bacteria in communities enriched from deep-sea sediments of the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge

Microorganisms play an important role in the geobiocycling of arsenic element. However, little is known about the bacteria involved in this process in oceanic environments. In this report, arsenite-resistant bacteria were detected in deep-sea sediments on the Southwest Indian Ridge. From arsenite enriched cultures, 54 isolates were obtained, which showed varied tolerance to arsenite of 2-80 mM. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA showed that they mainly belonged to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed that Microbacterium esteraromaticum was the dominant member in the arsenite enriched communities, and this was reconfirmed by 16S rRNA gene library analyses. Thus, M. esteraromaticum showed highest resistant to arsenite among the detected bacteria. These results indicate that there are quite diverse bacteria of arsenite resistance inhabiting the deep sea sediment, which may play a role in the geobiocycling of arsenic element in marine environments.

Arsenic accumulation by Pseudomonas stutzeri and its response to some thiol chelators

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to examine arsenic accumulation by Pseudomonas stutzeri and its response to some thiol chelators, DMPS and MiADMSA.

METHODS

Determination of arsenic accumulation by Pseudomonas sp. was carried out using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, a TEM and an EDAX. Arsenate reductase enzyme assay was carried out from a cell-free extract of Pseudomonas sp. The effect of chelating agents on arsenite accumulation was analyzed. Total cellular proteins were analyzed using 1-D SDS-PAGE.

RESULTS

Pseudomonas sp. exhibited a maximum accumulation of 4 mg As g(-1) (dry weight). TEM and EDAX analysis showed the presence of As-containing electron-dense particles inside the cells. Data on arsenate reductase enzyme kinetics yielded a K (m) of 0.40 mM for arsenate and a V (max) of 5,952 mumol arsenate reduced per minute per milligram of protein. The chelating agents MiADMSA and DMPS were found to reduce the arsenic accumulation by 60 and 35%, respectively, whereas the presence of both chelating agents in medium containing cells pretreated with arsenite reduced it by up to 90%. The total protein profile of the cellular extract, obtained by 1-D SDS-PAGE, indicated five upregulated proteins, and three of these proteins exhibited differential expression when the cells were grown with MiADMSA and DMPS.

CONCLUSION

This study shows a new approach towards arsenic detoxification. A combination treatment with MiADMSA and DMPS may be useful for removing intracellular arsenic. The proteins that were found to be induced in this study may play an important role in the extrusion of arsenic from the cells, and this requires further characterization.