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William VU, Magpantay HD. Arsenic and Microorganisms: Genes, Molecular Mechanisms, and Recent Advances in Microbial Arsenic Bioremediation. Microorganisms 2023; 12:74. [PMID: 38257901 PMCID: PMC10820871 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Throughout history, cases of arsenic poisoning have been reported worldwide, and the highly toxic effects of arsenic to humans, plants, and animals are well documented. Continued anthropogenic activities related to arsenic contamination in soil and water, as well as its persistency and lethality, have allowed arsenic to remain a pollutant of high interest and concern. Constant scrutiny has eventually resulted in new and better techniques to mitigate it. Among these, microbial remediation has emerged as one of the most important due to its reliability, safety, and sustainability. Over the years, numerous microorganisms have been successfully shown to remove arsenic from various environmental matrices. This review provides an overview of the interactions between microorganisms and arsenic, the different mechanisms utilized by microorganisms to detoxify arsenic, as well as current trends in the field of microbial-based bioremediation of arsenic. While the potential of microbial bioremediation of arsenic is notable, further studies focusing on the field-scale applicability of this technology is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hilbert D. Magpantay
- Department of Chemistry, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 0922, Philippines;
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2
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Functional mononuclear molybdenum enzymes: challenges and triumphs in molecular cloning, expression, and isolation. J Biol Inorg Chem 2020; 25:547-569. [PMID: 32279136 DOI: 10.1007/s00775-020-01787-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Mononuclear molybdenum enzymes catalyze a variety of reactions that are essential in the cycling of nitrogen, carbon, arsenic, and sulfur. For decades, the structure and function of these crucial enzymes have been investigated to develop a fundamental knowledge for this vast family of enzymes and the chemistries they carry out. Therefore, obtaining abundant quantities of active enzyme is necessary for exploring this family's biochemical capability. This mini-review summarizes the methods for overexpressing mononuclear molybdenum enzymes in the context of the challenges encountered in the process. Effective methods for molybdenum cofactor synthesis and incorporation, optimization of expression conditions, improving isolation of active vs. inactive enzyme, incorporation of additional prosthetic groups, and inclusion of redox enzyme maturation protein chaperones are discussed in relation to the current molybdenum enzyme literature. This article summarizes the heterologous and homologous expression studies providing underlying patterns and potential future directions.
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Ahn AC, Cavalca L, Colombo M, Schuurmans JM, Sorokin DY, Muyzer G. Transcriptomic Analysis of Two Thioalkalivibrio Species Under Arsenite Stress Revealed a Potential Candidate Gene for an Alternative Arsenite Oxidation Pathway. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1514. [PMID: 31333619 PMCID: PMC6620896 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Thioalkalivibrio includes haloalkaliphilic chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated from various soda lakes worldwide. Some of these lakes possess in addition to their extreme haloalkaline environment also other harsh conditions, to which Thioalkalivibrio needs to adapt. An example is arsenic in soda lakes in eastern California, which is found there in concentrations up to 3000 μM. Arsenic is a widespread element that can be an environmental issue, as it is highly toxic to most organisms. However, resistance mechanisms in the form of detoxification are widespread and some prokaryotes can even use arsenic as an energy source. We first screened the genomes of 76 Thioalkalivibrio strains for the presence of known arsenic oxidoreductases and found 15 putative ArxA (arsenite oxidase) and two putative ArrA (arsenate reductase). Subsequently, we studied the resistance to arsenite in detail in Thioalkalivibrio jannaschii ALM2T, and Thioalkalivibrio thiocyanoxidans ARh2T by comparative genomics and by growing them at different arsenite concentrations followed by arsenic species and transcriptomic analysis. Tv. jannaschii ALM2T, which has been isolated from Mono Lake, an arsenic-rich soda lake, could resist up to 5 mM arsenite, whereas Tv. thiocyanoxidans ARh2T, which was isolated from a Kenyan soda lake, could only grow up to 0.1 mM arsenite. Interestingly, both species oxidized arsenite to arsenate under aerobic conditions, although Tv. thiocyanoxidans ARh2T does not contain any known arsenite oxidases, and in Tv. jannaschii ALM2T, only arxB2 was clearly upregulated. However, we found the expression of a SoeABC-like gene, which we assume might have been involved in arsenite oxidation. Other arsenite stress responses for both strains were the upregulation of the vitamin B12 synthesis pathway, which can be linked to antioxidant activity, and the up- and downregulation of different DsrE/F-like genes whose roles are still unclear. Moreover, Tv. jannaschii ALM2T induced the ars gene operon and the Pst system, and Tv. thiocanoxidans ARh2T upregulated the sox and apr genes as well as different heat shock proteins. Our findings for Thioalkalivibrio confirm previously observed adaptations to arsenic, but also provide new insights into the arsenic stress response and the connection between the arsenic and the sulfur cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Catherine Ahn
- Microbial Systems Ecology, Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lucia Cavalca
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Milena Colombo
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - J Merijn Schuurmans
- Microbial Systems Ecology, Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dimitry Y Sorokin
- Research Centre of Biotechnology, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Gerard Muyzer
- Microbial Systems Ecology, Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Watson C, Niks D, Hille R, Vieira M, Schoepp-Cothenet B, Marques AT, Romão MJ, Santos-Silva T, Santini JM. Electron transfer through arsenite oxidase: Insights into Rieske interaction with cytochrome c. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2017; 1858:865-872. [PMID: 28801050 PMCID: PMC5574378 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Arsenic is a widely distributed environmental toxin whose presence in drinking water poses a threat to >140 million people worldwide. The respiratory enzyme arsenite oxidase from various bacteria catalyses the oxidation of arsenite to arsenate and is being developed as a biosensor for arsenite. The arsenite oxidase from Rhizobium sp. str. NT-26 (a member of the Alphaproteobacteria) is a heterotetramer consisting of a large catalytic subunit (AioA), which contains a molybdenum centre and a 3Fe-4S cluster, and a small subunit (AioB) containing a Rieske 2Fe-2S cluster. Stopped-flow spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) have been used to better understand electron transfer through the redox-active centres of the enzyme, which is essential for biosensor development. Results show that oxidation of arsenite at the active site is extremely fast with a rate of >4000s-1 and reduction of the electron acceptor is rate-limiting. An AioB-F108A mutation results in increased activity with the artificial electron acceptor DCPIP and decreased activity with cytochrome c, which in the latter as demonstrated by ITC is not due to an effect on the protein-protein interaction but instead to an effect on electron transfer. These results provide further support that the AioB F108 is important in electron transfer between the Rieske subunit and cytochrome c and its absence in the arsenite oxidases from the Betaproteobacteria may explain the inability of these enzymes to use this electron acceptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Watson
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitri Niks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California; Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Russ Hille
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California; Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Marta Vieira
- UCIBIO-Requimte, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Alexandra T Marques
- UCIBIO-Requimte, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria João Romão
- UCIBIO-Requimte, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Teresa Santos-Silva
- UCIBIO-Requimte, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Joanne M Santini
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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Teoh WK, Salleh FM, Shahir S. Characterization of Thiomonas delicata arsenite oxidase expressed in Escherichia coli. 3 Biotech 2017; 7:97. [PMID: 28560637 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-017-0740-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial arsenite oxidation is an essential biogeochemical process whereby more toxic arsenite is oxidized to the less toxic arsenate. Thiomonas strains represent an important arsenite oxidizer found ubiquitous in acid mine drainage. In the present study, the arsenite oxidase gene (aioBA) was cloned from Thiomonas delicata DSM 16361, expressed heterologously in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The purified recombinant Aio consisted of two subunits with the respective molecular weights of 91 and 21 kDa according to SDS-PAGE. Aio catalysis was optimum at pH 5.5 and 50-55 °C. Aio exhibited stability under acidic conditions (pH 2.5-6). The V max and K m values of the enzyme were found to be 4 µmol min-1 mg-1 and 14.2 µM, respectively. SDS and Triton X-100 were found to inhibit the enzyme activity. The homology model of Aio showed correlation with the acidophilic adaptation of the enzyme. This is the first characterization studies of Aio from a species belonging to the Thiomonas genus. The arsenite oxidase was found to be among the acid-tolerant Aio reported to date and has the potential to be used for biosensor and bioremediation applications in acidic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Kheng Teoh
- Department of Biosciences and Health Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Faezah Mohd Salleh
- Department of Biosciences and Health Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Shafinaz Shahir
- Department of Biosciences and Health Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences and Medical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
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The competition between chemistry and biology in assembling iron-sulfur derivatives. Molecular structures and electrochemistry. Part IV. {[Fe3S4](SγCys)3} proteins. Inorganica Chim Acta 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ica.2016.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Kumari N, Jagadevan S. Genetic identification of arsenate reductase and arsenite oxidase in redox transformations carried out by arsenic metabolising prokaryotes - A comprehensive review. CHEMOSPHERE 2016; 163:400-412. [PMID: 27565307 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.08.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic (As) contamination in water is a cause of major concern to human population worldwide, especially in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) are the two common forms in which arsenic exists in soil and groundwater, the former being more mobile and toxic. A large number of arsenic metabolising microorganisms play a crucial role in microbial transformation of arsenic between its different states, thus playing a key role in remediation of arsenic contaminated water. This review focuses on advances in biochemical, molecular and genomic developments in the field of arsenic metabolising bacteria - covering recent developments in the understanding of structure of arsenate reductase and arsenite oxidase enzymes, their gene and operon structures and their mechanism of action. The genetic and molecular studies of these microbes and their proteins may lead to evolution of successful strategies for effective implementation of bioremediation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Kumari
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 826004, India
| | - Sheeja Jagadevan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 826004, India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russ Hille
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - James Hall
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Partha Basu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282, United States
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Warelow TP, Oke M, Schoepp-Cothenet B, Dahl JU, Bruselat N, Sivalingam GN, Leimkühler S, Thalassinos K, Kappler U, Naismith JH, Santini JM. The respiratory arsenite oxidase: structure and the role of residues surrounding the rieske cluster. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72535. [PMID: 24023621 PMCID: PMC3758308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The arsenite oxidase (Aio) from the facultative autotrophic Alphaproteobacterium Rhizobium sp. NT-26 is a bioenergetic enzyme involved in the oxidation of arsenite to arsenate. The enzyme from the distantly related heterotroph, Alcaligenes faecalis, which is thought to oxidise arsenite for detoxification, consists of a large α subunit (AioA) with bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide at its active site and a 3Fe-4S cluster, and a small β subunit (AioB) which contains a Rieske 2Fe-2S cluster. The successful heterologous expression of the NT-26 Aio in Escherichia coli has resulted in the solution of its crystal structure. The NT-26 Aio, a heterotetramer, shares high overall similarity to the heterodimeric arsenite oxidase from A. faecalis but there are striking differences in the structure surrounding the Rieske 2Fe-2S cluster which we demonstrate explains the difference in the observed redox potentials (+225 mV vs. +130/160 mV, respectively). A combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electron paramagnetic resonance was used to explore the differences observed in the structure and redox properties of the Rieske cluster. In the NT-26 AioB the substitution of a serine (S126 in NT-26) for a threonine as in the A. faecalis AioB explains a -20 mV decrease in redox potential. The disulphide bridge in the A. faecalis AioB which is conserved in other betaproteobacterial AioB subunits and the Rieske subunit of the cytochrome bc 1 complex is absent in the NT-26 AioB subunit. The introduction of a disulphide bridge had no effect on Aio activity or protein stability but resulted in a decrease in the redox potential of the cluster. These results are in conflict with previous data on the betaproteobacterial AioB subunit and the Rieske of the bc 1 complex where removal of the disulphide bridge had no effect on the redox potential of the former but a decrease in cluster stability was observed in the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P. Warelow
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Muse Oke
- Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Schoepp-Cothenet
- Laboratoire de Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, BIP/CNRS, UMR7281, AMU, Marseille, France
| | - Jan U. Dahl
- Universität Potsdam, Institut für Biochemie and Biologie, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Nicole Bruselat
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ganesh N. Sivalingam
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Silke Leimkühler
- Universität Potsdam, Institut für Biochemie and Biologie, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Konstantinos Thalassinos
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ulrike Kappler
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - James H. Naismith
- Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne M. Santini
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Kalimuthu P, Heath MD, Santini JM, Kappler U, Bernhardt PV. Electrochemically driven catalysis of Rhizobium sp. NT-26 arsenite oxidase with its native electron acceptor cytochrome c552. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1837:112-20. [PMID: 23891971 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/19/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
We describe the catalytic voltammograms of the periplasmic arsenite oxidase (Aio) from the chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Rhizobium sp. str. NT-26 that oxidizes arsenite to arsenate. Electrochemistry of the enzyme was accomplished using its native electron transfer partner, cytochrome c552 (cyt c552), as a mediator. The protein cyt c552 adsorbed on a mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) modified Au electrode exhibited a stable, reversible one-electron voltammetric response at +275mV vs NHE (pH6). In the presence of arsenite and Aio the voltammetry of cyt c552 is transformed from a transient response to an amplified sigmoidal (steady state) wave consistent with an electro-catalytic system. Digital simulation was performed using a single set of parameters for all catalytic voltammetries obtained at different sweep rates and various substrate concentrations. The obtained kinetic constants from digital simulation provide new insight into the kinetics of the NT-26 Aio catalytic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palraj Kalimuthu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
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The prokaryotic Mo/W-bisPGD enzymes family: a catalytic workhorse in bioenergetic. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1827:1048-85. [PMID: 23376630 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2012] [Revised: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, prominent importance of molybdenum-containing enzymes in prokaryotes has been put forward by studies originating from different fields. Proteomic or bioinformatic studies underpinned that the list of molybdenum-containing enzymes is far from being complete with to date, more than fifty different enzymes involved in the biogeochemical nitrogen, carbon and sulfur cycles. In particular, the vast majority of prokaryotic molybdenum-containing enzymes belong to the so-called dimethylsulfoxide reductase family. Despite its extraordinary diversity, this family is characterized by the presence of a Mo/W-bis(pyranopterin guanosine dinucleotide) cofactor at the active site. This review highlights what has been learned about the properties of the catalytic site, the modular variation of the structural organization of these enzymes, and their interplay with the isoprenoid quinones. In the last part, this review provides an integrated view of how these enzymes contribute to the bioenergetics of prokaryotes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Metals in Bioenergetics and Biomimetics Systems.
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Engel AS, Johnson LR, Porter ML. Arsenite oxidase gene diversity among Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria from El Tatio Geyser Field, Chile. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 83:745-56. [PMID: 23066664 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2012] [Revised: 10/05/2012] [Accepted: 10/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Arsenic concentrations (450-600 μmol L(-1)) at the El Tatio Geyser Field in northern Chile are an order of magnitude greater than at other natural geothermal sites, making El Tatio an ideal location to investigate unique microbial diversity and metabolisms associated with the arsenic cycle in low sulfide, > 50 °C, and circumneutral pH waters. 16S rRNA gene and arsenite oxidase gene (aioA) diversities were evaluated from biofilms and microbial mats from two geyser-discharge stream transects. Chloroflexi was the most prevalent bacterial phylum at flow distances where arsenite was converted to arsenate, corresponding to roughly 60 °C. Among aioA-like gene sequences retrieved, most had homology to whole genomes of Chloroflexus aurantiacus, but others were homologous to alphaproteobacterial and undifferentiated beta- and gammaproteobacterial groups. No Deinococci, Thermus, Aquificales, or Chlorobi aioA-like genes were retrieved. The functional importance of amino acid sites was evaluated from evolutionary trace analyses of all retrieved aioA genes. Fifteen conserved residue sites identified across all phylogenetic groups highlight a conserved functional core, while six divergent sites demonstrate potential differences in electron transfer modes. This research expands the known distribution and diversity of arsenite oxidation in natural geothermal settings, and provides information about the evolutionary history of microbe-arsenic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Summers Engel
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
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van Lis R, Nitschke W, Duval S, Schoepp-Cothenet B. Arsenics as bioenergetic substrates. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2012; 1827:176-88. [PMID: 22982475 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2012.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 08/28/2012] [Accepted: 08/31/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Although at low concentrations, arsenic commonly occurs naturally as a local geological constituent. Whereas both arsenate and arsenite are strongly toxic to life, a number of prokaryotes use these compounds as electron acceptors or donors, respectively, for bioenergetic purposes via respiratory arsenate reductase, arsenite oxidase and alternative arsenite oxidase. The recent burst in discovered arsenite oxidizing and arsenate respiring microbes suggests the arsenic bioenergetic metabolisms to be anything but exotic. The first goal of the present review is to bring to light the widespread distribution and diversity of these metabolizing pathways. The second goal is to present an evolutionary analysis of these diverse energetic pathways. Taking into account not only the available data on the arsenic metabolizing enzymes and their phylogenetical relatives but also the palaeogeochemical records, we propose a crucial role of arsenite oxidation via arsenite oxidase in primordial life. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The evolutionary aspects of bioenergetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert van Lis
- Laboratoire de Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines UMR 7281 CNRS/AMU, FR3479, F-13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France
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