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Yan Y, Ma JJ, Liang XP, Yin Y, Wu YQ, Yu RL, Hu GR, Zhu YG, Li H. Occurrence and spatiotemporal distribution of arsenic biotransformation genes in urban dust. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108823. [PMID: 38908273 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Microbially-mediated arsenic biotransformation plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic; however, the presence of arsenic biotransformation genes (ABGs) in urban dust remains unclear. To investigate the occurrence and spatiotemporal distributions of ABGs, a total of one hundred and eighteen urban dust samples were collected from different districts of Xiamen city, China in summer and winter. Although inorganic arsenic species, including arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)], were found to be predominant, the methylated arsenicals, particularly trimethylarsine oxide [TMAs(V)O] and dimethylarsenate [DMAs(V)], were detected in urban dust. Abundant ABGs were identified in urban dust via AsChip analysis (a high-throughput qPCR chip for ABGs), of which As(III) S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase genes (arsM), As(V) reductase genes (arsC), As(III) oxidase genes (aioA), As(III) transporter genes (arsB), and arsenic-sensing regulator genes (arsR) were the most prevalent, collectively constituting more than 90 % of ABGs in urban dust. Microbes involved in arsenic methylation were assigned to bacteria (e.g., Actinomycetes and Alphaproteobacteria), archaea (e.g., Halobacteria), and eukaryotes (e.g., Chlamydomonadaceae) in urban dust via the arsM amplicon sequencing. Temperature, a season-dependent environmental factor, profoundly affected the abundance of ABGs and the composition of microbes involved in arsenic methylation. This study provides new insights into the presence of ARGs within the urban dust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Jin-Jin Ma
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Xiu-Peng Liang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Yi Yin
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Ya-Qing Wu
- Instrumental Analysis Center of Huaqiao University, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Rui-Lian Yu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Gong-Ren Hu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hu Li
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
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2
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Cordeiro IF, Lemes CGDC, Sanchez AB, da Silva AK, de Paula CH, de Matos RC, Ribeiro DF, de Matos JP, Garcia CCM, Beirão M, Becker CG, Pires MRS, Moreira LM. Amphibian tolerance to arsenic: microbiome-mediated insights. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10193. [PMID: 38702361 PMCID: PMC11068734 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60879-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Amphibians are often recognized as bioindicators of healthy ecosystems. The persistence of amphibian populations in heavily contaminated environments provides an excellent opportunity to investigate rapid vertebrate adaptations to harmful contaminants. Using a combination of culture-based challenge assays and a skin permeability assay, we tested whether the skin-associated microbiota may confer adaptive tolerance to tropical amphibians in regions heavily contaminated with arsenic, thus supporting the adaptive microbiome principle and immune interactions of the amphibian mucus. At lower arsenic concentrations (1 and 5 mM As3+), we found a significantly higher number of bacterial isolates tolerant to arsenic from amphibians sampled at an arsenic contaminated region (TES) than from amphibians sampled at an arsenic free region (JN). Strikingly, none of the bacterial isolates from our arsenic free region tolerated high concentrations of arsenic. In our skin permeability experiment, where we tested whether a subset of arsenic-tolerant bacterial isolates could reduce skin permeability to arsenic, we found that isolates known to tolerate high concentrations of arsenic significantly reduced amphibian skin permeability to this metalloid. This pattern did not hold true for bacterial isolates with low arsenic tolerance. Our results describe a pattern of environmental selection of arsenic-tolerant skin bacteria capable of protecting amphibians from intoxication, which helps explain the persistence of amphibian populations in water bodies heavily contaminated with arsenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Ferreira Cordeiro
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | | | - Angélica Bianchini Sanchez
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Ana Karla da Silva
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Camila Henriques de Paula
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Rosilene Cristina de Matos
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Dilson Fagundes Ribeiro
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Pereira de Matos
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Camila Carrião Machado Garcia
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
- Laboratório de Genômica e Interação Bactérias-Ambiente, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Marina Beirão
- Departamento de Biodiversidade Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - C Guilherme Becker
- Department of Biology, One Health Microbiome Center, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Maria Rita Silvério Pires
- Departamento de Biodiversidade Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Leandro Marcio Moreira
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Genômica e Interação Bactérias-Ambiente, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil.
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3
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Raab A, Zhang J, Ge Y, Fernández-Mendoza F, Feldmann J. Lipophilic arsenic compounds in the cultured green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Anal Bioanal Chem 2024; 416:2809-2818. [PMID: 38189919 PMCID: PMC11009773 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-023-05122-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
In this study, arsenic (As) speciation was investigated in the freshwater alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii treated with 20 μg/L arsenate using fractionation as well as ICP-MS/ESI-MS analyses and was compared with the known As metabolite profile of wild-grown Saccharina latissima. While the total As accumulation in C. reinhardtii was about 85% lower than in S. latissima, the relative percentage of arsenolipids was significantly higher in C. reinhardtii (57.0% vs. 5.01%). As-containing hydrocarbons and phospholipids dominated the hydrophobic As profile in S. latissima, but no As-containing hydrocarbons were detectable in C. reinhardtii. Instead for the first time, an arsenoriboside-containing phytol (AsSugPhytol) was found to dominate the hydrophobic arsenicals of C. reinhardtii. Interestingly, this compound and its relatives had so far been only found in green marine microalgae, open sea plankton (mixed assemblage), and sediments but not in brown or red macroalgae. This compound family might therefore relate to differences in the arsenic metabolism between the algae phyla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Raab
- TESLA - Analytical Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Jinyu Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing, China
| | - Ying Ge
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Jörg Feldmann
- TESLA - Analytical Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Li L, Chen S, Xue X, Chen J, Tian J, Huo L, Zhang T, Zeng X, Su S. Purifying selection drives distinctive arsenic metabolism pathways in prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae106. [PMID: 39229495 PMCID: PMC11370035 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Microbes play a crucial role in the arsenic biogeochemical cycle through specific metabolic pathways to adapt to arsenic toxicity. However, the different arsenic-detoxification strategies between prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes are poorly understood. This hampers our comprehension of how microbe-arsenic interactions drive the arsenic cycle and the development of microbial methods for remediation. In this study, we utilized conserved protein domains from 16 arsenic biotransformation genes (ABGs) to search for homologous proteins in 670 microbial genomes. Prokaryotes exhibited a wider species distribution of arsenic reduction- and arsenic efflux-related genes than fungi, whereas arsenic oxidation-related genes were more prevalent in fungi than in prokaryotes. This was supported by significantly higher acr3 (arsenite efflux permease) expression in bacteria (upregulated 3.72-fold) than in fungi (upregulated 1.54-fold) and higher aoxA (arsenite oxidase) expression in fungi (upregulated 5.11-fold) than in bacteria (upregulated 2.05-fold) under arsenite stress. The average values of nonsynonymous substitutions per nonsynonymous site to synonymous substitutions per synonymous site (dN/dS) of homologous ABGs were higher in archaea (0.098) and bacteria (0.124) than in fungi (0.051). Significant negative correlations between the dN/dS of ABGs and species distribution breadth and gene expression levels in archaea, bacteria, and fungi indicated that microbes establish the distinct strength of purifying selection for homologous ABGs. These differences contribute to the distinct arsenic metabolism pathways in prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes. These observations facilitate a significant shift from studying individual or several ABGs to characterizing the comprehensive microbial strategies of arsenic detoxification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Li
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, MARA, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
| | - Songcan Chen
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Ximei Xue
- Institute of Urban Environment, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, P.R. China
| | - Jieyin Chen
- Institute of Plant Protection, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, P.R. China
| | - Jian Tian
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
| | - Lijuan Huo
- School of Environment and Resources, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030024, P.R. China
| | - Tuo Zhang
- School of Environmental and Life Science, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530100, P.R. China
| | - Xibai Zeng
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, MARA, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
| | - Shiming Su
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, MARA, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
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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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6
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Ge ZB, Zhai ZQ, Xie WY, Dai J, Huang K, Johnson DR, Zhao FJ, Wang P. Two-tiered mutualism improves survival and competitiveness of cross-feeding soil bacteria. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2090-2102. [PMID: 37737252 PMCID: PMC10579247 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01519-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic cross-feeding is a pervasive microbial interaction type that affects community stability and functioning and directs carbon and energy flows. The mechanisms that underlie these interactions and their association with metal/metalloid biogeochemistry, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we identified two soil bacteria, Bacillus sp. BP-3 and Delftia sp. DT-2, that engage in a two-tiered mutualism. Strain BP-3 has low utilization ability of pyruvic acid while strain DT-2 lacks hexokinase, lacks a phosphotransferase system, and is defective in glucose utilization. When strain BP-3 is grown in isolation with glucose, it releases pyruvic acid to the environment resulting in acidification and eventual self-killing. However, when strain BP-3 is grown together with strain DT-2, strain DT-2 utilizes the released pyruvic acid to meet its energy requirements, consequently rescuing strain BP-3 from pyruvic acid-induced growth inhibition. The two bacteria further enhance their collective competitiveness against other microbes by using arsenic as a weapon. Strain DT-2 reduces relatively non-toxic methylarsenate [MAs(V)] to highly toxic methylarsenite [MAs(III)], which kills or suppresses competitors, while strain BP-3 detoxifies MAs(III) by methylation to non-toxic dimethylarsenate [DMAs(V)]. These two arsenic transformations are enhanced when strains DT-2 and BP-3 are grown together. The two strains, along with their close relatives, widely co-occur in soils and their abundances increase with the soil arsenic concentration. Our results reveal that these bacterial types employ a two-tiered mutualism to ensure their collective metabolic activity and maintain their ecological competitive against other soil microbes. These findings shed light on the intricateness of bacterial interactions and their roles in ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan-Biao Ge
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Centre for Agriculture and Health, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Zhai
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Centre for Agriculture and Health, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wan-Ying Xie
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jun Dai
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ke Huang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - David R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fang-Jie Zhao
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
- Centre for Agriculture and Health, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
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Vigneron A, Vincent WF, Lovejoy C. Discovery of a novel bacterial class with the capacity to drive sulfur cycling and microbiome structure in a paleo-ocean analog. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:82. [PMID: 37596370 PMCID: PMC10439189 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00287-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Uncultivated microbial taxa represent a large fraction of global microbial diversity and likely drive numerous biogeochemical transformations in natural ecosystems. Geographically isolated, polar ecosystems are complex microbial biomes and refuges of underexplored taxonomic and functional biodiversity. Combining amplicon sequencing with genome-centric metagenomic analysis of samples from one of the world's northernmost lakes (Lake A, Ellesmere Island, Canadian High Arctic), we identified a novel bacterial taxon that dominates in the bottom layer of anoxic, sulfidic, relict sea water that was isolated from the Arctic Ocean some 3000 years ago. Based on phylogenomic comparative analyses, we propose that these bacteria represent a new Class within the poorly described Electryoneota/AABM5-125-24 candidate phylum. This novel class, for which we propose the name Tariuqbacteria, may be either a relict of ancient ocean conditions or endemic to this High Arctic system, provisionally providing a rare example of high-taxonomy level endemism. Consistent with the geochemistry of the bottom water, the genetic composition of the Candidatus Tariuqbacter genome revealed a strictly anaerobic lifestyle with the potential for sulfate and sulfur reduction, a versatile carbon metabolism and the capability to eliminate competing bacteria through methylarsenite production, suggesting an allelochemical influence on microbiome structure by this planktonic microbe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Vigneron
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
- Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
- Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Warwick F Vincent
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Centre d'études nordiques (CEN), Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Connie Lovejoy
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- Québec Océan, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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8
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Chen J, Rosen BP. Arsenite Methyltransferase Diversity and Optimization of Methylation Efficiency. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:9754-9761. [PMID: 37327778 PMCID: PMC10669576 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is methylated by arsenite (As(III)) S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) methyltransferases (ArsMs). ArsM crystal structures show three domains (an N-terminal SAM binding domain (A domain), a central arsenic binding domain (B domain), and a C-terminal domain of unknown function (C domain)). In this study, we performed a comparative analysis of ArsMs and found a broad diversity in structural domains. The differences in the ArsM structure enable ArsMs to have a range of methylation efficiencies and substrate selectivities. Many small ArsMs with 240-300 amino acid residues have only A and B domains, represented by RpArsM from Rhodopseudomonas palustris. These small ArsMs have higher methylation activity than larger ArsMs with 320-400 residues such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CrArsM, which has A, B, and C domains. To examine the role of the C domain, the last 102 residues in CrArsM were deleted. This CrArsM truncation exhibited higher As(III) methylation activity than the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that the C-terminal domain has a role in modulating the rate of catalysis. In addition, the relationship of arsenite efflux systems and methylation was examined. Lower rates of efflux led to higher rates of methylation. Thus, the rate of methylation can be modulated in multiple ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
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9
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Yuxiang W, Peretolchina TE, Romanova EV, Sherbakov DY. Comparison of the evolutionary patterns of DNA repeats in ancient and young invertebrate species flocks of Lake Baikal. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2023; 27:349-356. [PMID: 37465187 PMCID: PMC10350863 DOI: 10.18699/vjgb-23-42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA repeat composition of low coverage (0.1-0.5) genomic libraries of four amphipods species endemic to Lake Baikal (East Siberia) and four endemic gastropod species of the fam. Baicaliidae have been compared to each other. In order to do so, a neighbor joining tree was inferred for each quartet of species (amphipods and mollusks) based on the ratio of repeat classes shared in each pair of species. The topology of this tree was compared to the phylogenies inferred for the same species from the concatenated protein-coding mitochondrial nucleotide sequences. In all species analyzed, the fraction of DNA repeats involved circa half of the genome. In relatively more ancient amphipods (most recent common ancestor, MRCA, existed approximately sixty millions years ago), the most abundant were species-specific repeats, while in much younger Baicaliidae (MRCA equal to ca. three millions years) most of the DNA repeats were shared among all four species. If the presence/absence of a repeat is regarded as a separate independent trait, and the ratio of shared to total numbers of repeats in a species pair is used as the measure of distance, the topology of the NJ tree is the same as the quartet phylogeny inferred for the mitogenomes protein coding nucleotide sequences. Meanwhile, in each group of species, a substantial number of repeats were detected pointing to the possibility of non-neutral evolution or a horizontal transfer between species occupying the same biotope. These repeats were shared by non-sister groups while being absent in the sister genomes. On the other hand, in such cases some traits of ecological significance were also shared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Yuxiang
- Limnological institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - T E Peretolchina
- Limnological institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - E V Romanova
- Limnological institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia
| | - D Y Sherbakov
- Limnological institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, RussiaIrkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia
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10
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Qiao J, Liu J, Palomo A, Bostick BC, Phan K, Zheng Y, Li F. Prevalence of Methylated Arsenic and Microbial Arsenic Methylation Genes in Paddy Soils of the Mekong Delta. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37354103 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Microbially mediated inorganic-methylated arsenic (As) transformation in paddy soil is crucial to rice safety; however, the linkages between the microbial As methylation process and methylated As species remain elusive. Here, 62 paddy soils were collected from the Mekong River delta of Cambodia to profile As-related functional gene composition involved in the As cycle. The soil As concentration ranged from <1 to 16.6 mg kg-1, with average As contents of approximately 81% as methylated As and 54% as monomethylarsenate (MMAs(V)) in the phosphate- and oxalate-extractable fractions based on As sequential extraction analysis. Quantitative PCR revealed high arsenite-methylating gene (arsM) copy numbers, and metagenomics identified consistently high arsM gene abundance. The abundance of As-related genes was the highest in bacteria, followed by archaea and fungi. Pseudomonas, Bradyrhizobium, Burkholderia, and Anaeromyxobacter were identified as bacteria harboring the most genes related to As biotransformation. Moreover, arsM and arsI (As demethylation) gene-containing operons were identified in the metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), implying that arsM and arsI could be transcribed together. The prevalence of methylated As and arsM genes may have been overlooked in tropical paddy fields. The As methylation-demethylation cycle should be considered when manipulating the methylated As pool in paddy fields for rice safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Qiao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510650, China
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510650, China
| | - Jingyu Liu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4108, Australia
| | - Alejandro Palomo
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Benjamin C Bostick
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, United States
| | - Kongkea Phan
- Faculty of Science and Technology, International University, Phnom Penh 12101, Cambodia
| | - Yan Zheng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Fangbai Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510650, China
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510650, China
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11
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Kabiraj A, Laha A, Panja AS, Bandopadhyay R. In silico comparative structural and functional analysis of arsenite methyltransferase from bacteria, fungi, fishes, birds, and mammals. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2023; 21:64. [PMID: 37204693 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-023-00522-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arsenic, a ubiquitous toxic metalloid, is a threat to the survival of all living organisms. Bioaccumulation of arsenic interferes with the normal physiological pathway. To overcome arsenic toxicity, organisms have developed arsenite methyltransferase enzyme, which methylates inorganic arsenite to organic arsenic MMA (III) in the presence of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Bacteria-derived arsM might be horizontally transported to different domains of life as arsM or as3mt (animal ortholog). A systematic study on the functional diversity of arsenite methyltransferase from various sources will be used in arsenic bioremediation. RESULTS Several arsenite methyltransferase protein sequences of bacteria, fungi, fishes, birds, and mammals were retrieved from the UniProt database. In silico physicochemical studies confirmed the acidic, hydrophilic, and thermostable nature of these enzymes. Interkingdom relationships were revealed by performing phylogenetic analysis. Homology modeling was performed by SWISS-MODEL, and that was validated through SAVES-v.6.0. QMEAN values ranged from - 0.93 to - 1.30, ERRAT score (83-96), PROCHECK (88-92%), and other parameters suggested models are statistically significant. MOTIF and PrankWeb discovered several functional motifs and active pockets within the proteins respectively. The STRING database showed protein-protein interaction networks. CONCLUSION All of our in silico studies confirmed the fact that arsenite methyltransferase is a cytosolic stable enzyme with conserved sequences over a wide range of organisms. Thus, because of its stable and ubiquitous nature, arsenite methyltransferase could be employed in arsenic bioremediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Kabiraj
- Department of Botany, UGC-Centre for Advanced Study, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Bardhaman, West Bengal, 713104, India
| | - Anubhab Laha
- Department of Botany, UGC-Centre for Advanced Study, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Bardhaman, West Bengal, 713104, India
- Department of Botany, Chandernagore College, Hooghly, Chandernagore, West Bengal, 712136, India
| | - Anindya Sundar Panja
- Molecular Informatics Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Oriental Institute of Science and Technology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, 721102, India
| | - Rajib Bandopadhyay
- Department of Botany, UGC-Centre for Advanced Study, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Bardhaman, West Bengal, 713104, India.
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12
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Paul NP, Galván AE, Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M. Arsenic in medicine: past, present and future. Biometals 2023; 36:283-301. [PMID: 35190937 PMCID: PMC8860286 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-022-00371-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Arsenicals are one of the oldest treatments for a variety of human disorders. Although infamous for its toxicity, arsenic is paradoxically a therapeutic agent that has been used since ancient times for the treatment of multiple diseases. The use of most arsenic-based drugs was abandoned with the discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s, but a few remained in use such as those for the treatment of trypanosomiasis. In the 1970s, arsenic trioxide, the active ingredient in a traditional Chinese medicine, was shown to produce dramatic remission of acute promyelocytic leukemia similar to the effect of all-trans retinoic acid. Since then, there has been a renewed interest in the clinical use of arsenicals. Here the ancient and modern medicinal uses of inorganic and organic arsenicals are reviewed. Included are antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic and anticancer applications. In the face of increasing antibiotic resistance and the emergence of deadly pathogens such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, we propose revisiting arsenicals with proven efficacy to combat emerging pathogens. Current advances in science and technology can be employed to design newer arsenical drugs with high therapeutic index. These novel arsenicals can be used in combination with existing drugs or serve as valuable alternatives in the fight against cancer and emerging pathogens. The discovery of the pentavalent arsenic-containing antibiotic arsinothricin, which is effective against multidrug-resistant pathogens, illustrates the future potential of this new class of organoarsenical antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngozi P Paul
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Adriana E Galván
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
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13
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Kothari A, Kumar P, Gaurav A, Kaushal K, Pandey A, Yadav SRM, Jain N, Omar BJ. Association of antibiotics and heavy metal arsenic to horizontal gene transfer from multidrug-resistant clinical strains to antibiotic-sensitive environmental strains. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 443:130260. [PMID: 36327832 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is currently posing a significant threat to global public health. By testing for resistance to different antibiotic classes, we discovered that the majority of clinical bacteria are multidrug-resistant. These clinical multidrug-resistant species have antibiotic resistance genes on their plasmids that can be horizontally transferred to various antibiotic susceptible environmental bacterial species, resulting in antibiotic-resistant transconjugates. Furthermore, we discovered that the presence of an optimal concentration of antibiotics or heavy metal (arsenic) facilitates horizontal gene transfer through the formation of transconjugants. Notably, the addition of a conjugation inhibitor (2-hexadecynoic acid, a synthetic fatty acid) completely blocked the formation of antibiotic or arsenic-induced transconjugants. We discovered a high level of arsenic in water from the Shukratal region, Uttarakhand, India, which corresponded to a high serum level of arsenic in clinically infected individuals from the Shukratal region compared to other locations in Uttarakhand. Importantly, bacterial strains isolated from infected people who drink water from the Shukratal region with high arsenic levels were found to be more antibiotic-resistant than strains isolated from other sites. We discovered that bacterial strains isolated from individuals with high serum arsenic levels are significantly more resistant to antibiotics than individuals with low serum arsenic levels within the Shurkratal. This research sheds light on imminent threats to global health in which improper clinical, industrial, and other waste disposal, increased antibiotic concentrations in the environment, and increased human interference can easily transform commensal and pathogenic bacteria found in environmental niches into life-threatening multidrug-resistant superbugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Kothari
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
| | - Prashant Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
| | | | - Karanvir Kaushal
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
| | - Atul Pandey
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | | | - Neeraj Jain
- Department of Medical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India; Division of Cancer Biology, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226031, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201002, India.
| | - Balram Ji Omar
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India.
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14
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Cho CH, Park SI, Huang TY, Lee Y, Ciniglia C, Yadavalli HC, Yang SW, Bhattacharya D, Yoon HS. Genome-wide signatures of adaptation to extreme environments in red algae. Nat Commun 2023; 14:10. [PMID: 36599855 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35566-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The high temperature, acidity, and heavy metal-rich environments associated with hot springs have a major impact on biological processes in resident cells. One group of photosynthetic eukaryotes, the Cyanidiophyceae (Rhodophyta), has successfully thrived in hot springs and associated sites worldwide for more than 1 billion years. Here, we analyze chromosome-level assemblies from three representative Cyanidiophyceae species to study environmental adaptation at the genomic level. We find that subtelomeric gene duplication of functional genes and loss of canonical eukaryotic traits played a major role in environmental adaptation, in addition to horizontal gene transfer events. Shared responses to environmental stress exist in Cyanidiales and Galdieriales, however, most of the adaptive genes (e.g., for arsenic detoxification) evolved independently in these lineages. Our results underline the power of local selection to shape eukaryotic genomes that may face vastly different stresses in adjacent, extreme microhabitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung Hyun Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Seung In Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Tzu-Yen Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Yongsung Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Claudia Ciniglia
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Hari Chandana Yadavalli
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seong Wook Yang
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | | | - Hwan Su Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea.
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15
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Haas R, Nikel PI. Challenges and opportunities in bringing nonbiological atoms to life with synthetic metabolism. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:27-45. [PMID: 35786519 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The relatively narrow spectrum of chemical elements within the microbial 'biochemical palate' limits the reach of biotechnology, because several added-value compounds can only be produced with traditional organic chemistry. Synthetic biology offers enabling tools to tackle this issue by facilitating 'biologization' of non-canonical chemical atoms. The interplay between xenobiology and synthetic metabolism multiplies routes for incorporating nonbiological atoms into engineered microbes. In this review, we survey natural assimilation routes for elements beyond the essential biology atoms [i.e., carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S)], discussing how these mechanisms could be repurposed for biotechnology. Furthermore, we propose a computational framework to identify chemical elements amenable to biologization, ranking reactions suitable to build synthetic metabolism. When combined and deployed in robust microbial hosts, these approaches will offer sustainable alternatives for smart chemical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Haas
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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16
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Duc NH, Vo HTN, van Doan C, Hamow KÁ, Le KH, Posta K. Volatile organic compounds shape belowground plant-fungi interactions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1046685. [PMID: 36561453 PMCID: PMC9763900 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1046685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a bouquet of chemical compounds released by all life forms, play essential roles in trophic interactions. VOCs can facilitate a large number of interactions with different organisms belowground. VOCs-regulated plant-plant or plant-insect interaction both below and aboveground has been reported extensively. Nevertheless, there is little information about the role of VOCs derived from soilborne pathogenic fungi and beneficial fungi, particularly mycorrhizae, in influencing plant performance. In this review, we show how plant VOCs regulate plant-soilborne pathogenic fungi and beneficial fungi (mycorrhizae) interactions. How fungal VOCs mediate plant-soilborne pathogenic and beneficial fungi interactions are presented and the most common methods to collect and analyze belowground volatiles are evaluated. Furthermore, we suggest a promising method for future research on belowground VOCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Hong Duc
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Applied Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Godollo, Hungary
| | - Ha T. N. Vo
- Plant Disease Laboratory, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agronomy, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
| | - Cong van Doan
- Molecular Interaction Ecology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDIV), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kamirán Áron Hamow
- Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Martonvásár, Hungary
| | - Khac Hoang Le
- Plant Disease Laboratory, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agronomy, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
| | - Katalin Posta
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Department of Microbiology and Applied Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Godollo, Hungary
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17
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Neethu CS, Saravanakumar C, Purvaja R, Robin RS, Ramesh R. Arsenic resistance and horizontal gene transfer are associated with carbon and nitrogen enrichment in bacteria. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 311:119937. [PMID: 35977641 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Coastal waters are confluences receiving large amounts of point and non-point sources of pollution. An attempt was made to explore microbial community interactions in response to carbon, nitrogen and metal pollution. Additionally, experiments were designed to analyze the influence of these factors on horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Shift in bacterial diversity dynamics by arsenic stress and nutrient addition in coastal waters was explored by metagenomics of microcosm setups. Phylogenetic analysis revealed equal distribution of Gammaproteobacteria (29%) and Betaproteobacteria (28%) in control microcosm. This proportional diversity from control switched to unique distribution of Gammaproteobacteria (44.5%)> Flavobacteria (17.7%)> Bacteriodia (11.92%)> Betaproteobacteria (11.52%) in microcosm supplemented with carbon, nitrogen and metal (C + N + M). Among metal-stressed systems, alpha diversity analysis indicated highest diversity of genera in C + N + M followed by N + M > C+M> metal alone. Arsenic and ampicillin sensitive E. coli XL1 blue and environmental strains (Vibrio tubiashii W85 and E. coli W101) were tested for efficiency of uptake of plasmid (P) pUCminusMCS (arsBRampR) under varying stress conditions. Transformation experiments revealed that combined effect of carbon, nitrogen and metal on horizontal gene transfer (HGT) was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than individual factors. The effect of carbon on HGT was proved to be superior to nitrogen under metal stressed conditions. Presence of arsenic in experimental setups (P + M, P + N + M and P + C + M) enhanced the HGT compared to non-metal counterparts supplemented with carbon or nitrogen. Arsenic resistant bacterial isolates (n = 200) were tested for the ability to utilize various carbon and nitrogen substrates and distinct positive correlation (p < 0.001) was found between arsenic resistance and utilization of urea and nitrate. However, evident positive correlation was not found between carbon sources and arsenic resistance. Our findings suggest that carbon and nitrogen pollution in aquatic habitats under arsenic stress determine the microbial community dynamics and critically influence uptake of genetic material from the surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Neethu
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Chennai 600025, India
| | - C Saravanakumar
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Chennai 600025, India
| | - R Purvaja
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Chennai 600025, India
| | - R S Robin
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Chennai 600025, India
| | - R Ramesh
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Chennai 600025, India.
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18
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Hu L, Qian Y, Ci M, Long Y, Zheng H, Xu K, Wang Y. Localized intensification of arsenic methylation within landfill leachate-saturated zone. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 842:156979. [PMID: 35764148 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Leachate-saturated zone (LSZ) of landfills is a complicated biogeochemical hotspot due to the continuous input of electron donors and acceptors from the top refuse layer with leachate migration. In this study, the methylation behavior of the arsenic (As) was investigated. The results indicate that As-methylation processes are influenced by temperature fields in LSZ. The dimethylarsinic acid biotransformation capability can be enhanced with an increase in temperature. Microbial diversity, quantification of functional gene (arsM), and co-occurrence network analysis further characterized the drivers of As methylation in LSZ. As-biogeochemical cycle pathways, as well as As-functional gene distribution among different temperature fields, were modeled on the basis of KEGG annotation. Binning analysis was further employed to assemble As-methylated metagenomes, enabling the identification of novel species for As methylation in landfills. Then, 87 high-quality draft metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were reconstructed from LSZ refuse samples; nearly 15 % (13 of 87) belonged to putative As-methylates functional MAGs. Combined with the model of the As-biogeochemical cycle, nine putative functional species could complete methylation processes alone. The findings of this study highlighted the temperature influence on the As-methylation behavior in LSZ and could facilitate the management of As contamination in landfills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifang Hu
- College of Quality and Safety Engineering, Institution of Industrial Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yating Qian
- College of Quality and Safety Engineering, Institution of Industrial Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Manting Ci
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Instrumental Analysis Center, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Yuyang Long
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Instrumental Analysis Center, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China.
| | - Haozhe Zheng
- College of Quality and Safety Engineering, Institution of Industrial Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Ke Xu
- College of Quality and Safety Engineering, Institution of Industrial Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yuqian Wang
- College of Quality and Safety Engineering, Institution of Industrial Carbon Metrology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
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19
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Zhou Q, Zhang J, Chen J. Methylation of arsenic differs with substrates in Arcticibacter tournemirensis R1 from an As-contaminated paddy soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156527. [PMID: 35679924 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic can be methylated by arsenite (As(III)) S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferases (ArsMs) among various kingdoms of life. The intermediate product methylarsenite (MAs(III)) is highly toxic and can be utilized as an antibiotic by some microbes. ArsM gene is widely distributed in the members of every kingdom from bacteria to humans and displays a high diversity of sequence. Based on arsenic methylating capacity, ArsM proteins can be divided into two phylogenetically distinct clades (Groups 1 and 2). In this study, we show that Arcticibacter tournemirensis R1 isolated from arsenic contaminated paddy soil is resistant to both As(III) and MAs(III), but exhibits different methylation activities for As(III) and MAs(III). The A. tournemirensis R1 shows low As(III) methylation activity and produces an unknown arsenic compound. In contrast, it shows high methylation activity with MAs(III), with the main product of dimethylarsenate (DMAs(V)). An AtarsM gene is found in ars operon of A. tournemirensis R1 genome and is regulated by an atypical transcriptional repressor ArsR. Expressed in Escherichia coli AtArsM confers resistance to As(III) and MAs(III). Both in vivo and in vitro assays show that AtArsM methylates As(III) and MAs(III) to dimethyl- and trimethyl‑arsenicals. AtArsM has four conserved cysteine residues, which are present in most ArsMs and can be classified into phylogenetic group 2 family, producing trimethylated arsenic metabolites. The high arsenic methylation and volatilization activity of AtArsM provides a potential strategy for arsenic bioremediation. The methylation activity differs with As(III) and MAs(III) in A. tournemirensis R1 indicates that there may have different detoxification mechanisms for As(III) and MAs(III), which are worth investigating in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Zhou
- College of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou, Hunan 416000, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, United States.
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20
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Bhardwaj A. Understanding the diversified microbial operon framework coupled to arsenic transformation and expulsion. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01198-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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21
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Song D, Chen L, Zhu S, Zhang L. Gut microbiota promote biotransformation and bioaccumulation of arsenic in tilapia. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 305:119321. [PMID: 35439597 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic organisms such as fish can accumulate high levels of arsenic (As) and transform toxic inorganic As (iAs) to non-toxic arsenobetaine (AsB). Whether the gut microbiota are involved in the process of As accumulation and transformation in fish is unclear. Herein, we subjected tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) to antibiotic treatment for 19 d to remove the gut microbiota, followed by the dietary exposure to arsenate (As(V)) for 16 d. The antibiotic-treated fish accumulated significantly less total As and AsB levels in the intestine and muscle than the fish in the control group. The gut contents (mixture of microbiota, digestive fluid, and diet debris) in the control fish metabolized As(V) to arsenite (As(III)) and organoarsenicals in vitro, while those in the antibiotic-treated fish lost this ability. As(V) exposure significantly changed the fish gut microbiota community. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was found to be the dominant species (>60% of total operational taxonomic unit (OTU) number) in the gut microbiota of As-treated fish. The isolated As-resistant strain S. maltophilia SCSIOOM owned a high capability to metabolize As(V) to As(III) and organoarsenicals. Overall, these results demonstrated that the gut microbiota, at least the As-resistant bacteria, were involved in As biotransformation pathways in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongdong Song
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lizhao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Siqi Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.
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22
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Schmidt S. Navigating a Two-Way Street: Metal Toxicity and the Human Gut Microbiome. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:32001. [PMID: 35302387 PMCID: PMC8932408 DOI: 10.1289/ehp9731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
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Zhang J, Chen J, Wu YF, Liu X, Packianathan C, Nadar VS, Rosen BP, Zhao FJ. Functional characterization of the methylarsenite-inducible arsRM operon from Noviherbaspirillum denitrificans HC18. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:772-783. [PMID: 35049138 PMCID: PMC8881391 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Microbial arsenic methylation by arsenite (As(III)) S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferases (ArsMs) can produce the intermediate methylarsenite (MAs(III)), which is highly toxic and is used by some microbes as an antibiotic. Other microbes have evolved mechanisms to detoxify MAs(III). In this study, an arsRM operon was identified in the genome of an MAs(III)-methylation strain Noviherbaspirillum denitrificans HC18. The arsM gene (NdarsM) is located downstream of an open reading frame encoding an MAs(III)-responsive transcriptional regulator (NdArsR). The N. denitrificans arsRM genes are co-transcribed whose expression is significantly induced by MAs(III), likely by alleviating the repressive effect of ArsR on arsRM transcription. Both in vivo and in vitro assays showed that NdArsM methylates MAs(III) to dimethyl- and trimethyl-arsenicals but does not methylate As(III). Heterologous expression of NdarsM in arsenic-sensitive Escherichia coli AW3110 conferred resistance to MAs(III) but not As(III). NdArsM has the four conserved cysteine residues present in most ArsMs, but only two of them are essential for MAs(III) methylation. The ability to methylate MAs(III) by enzymes such as NdArsM may be an evolutionary step originated from enzymes capable of methylating As(III). This finding reveals a mechanism employed by microbes such as N. denitrificans HC18 to detoxify MAs(III) by further methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Yi-Fei Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xia Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Charles Packianathan
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Venkadesh S. Nadar
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA,Co-corresponding authors: Fangjie Zhao () and Barry P. Rosen ()
| | - Fang-Jie Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China,Co-corresponding authors: Fangjie Zhao () and Barry P. Rosen ()
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24
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Chen J, Zhang J, Rosen BP. Organoarsenical tolerance in Sphingobacterium wenxiniae, a bacterium isolated from activated sludge. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:762-771. [PMID: 33998126 PMCID: PMC8890440 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Organoarsenicals enter the environment from biogenic and anthropogenic sources. Trivalent inorganic arsenite (As(III)) is microbially methylated to more toxic methylarsenite (MAs(III)) and dimethylarsenite (DMAs(III)) that oxidize in air to MAs(V) and DMAs(V). Sources include the herbicide monosodium methylarsenate (MSMA or MAs(V)), which is microbially reduced to MAs(III), and the aromatic arsenical roxarsone (3-nitro-4-hydroxybenzenearsonic acid or Rox), an antimicrobial growth promoter for poultry and swine. Here we show that Sphingobacterium wenxiniae LQY-18T , isolated from activated sludge, is resistant to trivalent MAs(III) and Rox(III). Sphingobacterium wenxiniae detoxifies MAs(III) and Rox(III) by oxidation to MAs(V) and Rox(V). Sphingobacterium wenxiniae has a novel chromosomal gene, termed arsU1. Expressed in Escherichia coli arsU1 confers resistance to MAs(III) and Rox(III) but not As(III) or pentavalent organoarsenicals. Purified ArsU1 catalyses oxidation of trivalent methylarsenite and roxarsone. ArsU1 has six conserved cysteine residues. The DNA sequence for the three C-terminal cysteines was deleted, and the other three were mutated to serines. Only C45S and C122S lost activity, suggesting that Cys45 and Cys122 play a role in ArsU1 function. ArsU1 requires neither FMN nor FAD for activity. These results demonstrate that ArsU1 is a novel MAs(III) oxidase that contributes to S. wenxiniae tolerance to organoarsenicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199
- Institute of Environment Remediation and Human Health, and College of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199
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25
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Abstract
Sialic acids are present in humans and other metazoans, playing essential roles in physiological and pathological processes. Commensal and pathogenic bacteria have evolved the capacity to utilize sialic acids as nutrient and energy sources. However, in some actinobacteria, sialic acid catabolism (SAC) is associated with free-living populations. To unravel the distribution and evolutionary history of SAC in the phylum Actinobacteria, we analyzed the presence and diversity of the putative SAC gene cluster (nan) in 7,180 high-quality, nonredundant actinobacterial genomes that covered 1,969 species. The results showed that ∼13% of actinobacterial species had the potential to utilize sialic acids, with 45 species capable of anhydro-SAC, all except two of them through the canonical pathway. These species belonged to 20 orders and 81 genera, with ∼36% of them from four genera, Actinomyces, Bifidobacterium, Corynebacterium, and Streptomyces. Moreover, ∼40% of the nan-positive species are free living. Phylogenetic analysis of the key nan genes, nanA, nanK, and nanE, revealed a strong signal of horizontal gene transfer (HGT), accompanied with vertical inheritance and gene loss. This evolutionary pattern led to high diversity and differential distribution of nan among actinobacterial taxa and might cause the cluster to spread to some free-living species while losing in some host-associated species. The evolution of SAC in actinobacteria probably represents the evolution of certain kinds of noncore bacterial functions for environmental adaptation and lifestyle switch, in which HGT plays a dominant role. IMPORTANCE Sialic acids play essential roles in the physiology of humans and other metazoan animals, and microbial sialic acid catabolism (SAC) is one of the processes critical for pathogenesis. To date, microbial SAC is studied mainly in commensals and pathogens, while its distribution in free-living microbes and evolutionary pathway remain largely unexplored. Here, by examining all actinobacterial genomes available, we demonstrate that putative SAC is present in a small proportion of actinobacterial species, of which, however, ∼40% are free-living species. We also reveal remarkable difference in the distribution of SAC among actinobacterial taxa and high diversity of the putative SAC gene clusters. HGT plays a significant role in the evolution of SAC, accompanied with vertical inheritance and gene loss. Our results provide a comprehensive and systematic picture of the distribution and evolutionary history of SAC in actinobacteria, expanding the current knowledge on bacterial adaptation and diversification.
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A Hyperthermoactive-Cas9 Editing Tool Reveals the Role of a Unique Arsenite Methyltransferase in the Arsenic Resistance System of Thermus thermophilus HB27. mBio 2021; 12:e0281321. [PMID: 34872358 PMCID: PMC8649762 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02813-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Arsenic detoxification systems can be found in a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to humans. In a previous study, we discovered an arsenic-responsive transcriptional regulator in the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27 (TtSmtB). Here, we characterize the arsenic resistance system of T. thermophilus in more detail. We employed TtSmtB-based pulldown assays with protein extracts from cultures treated with arsenate and arsenite to obtain an S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM)-dependent arsenite methyltransferase (TtArsM). In vivo and in vitro analyses were performed to shed light on this new component of the arsenic resistance network and its peculiar catalytic mechanism. Heterologous expression of TtarsM in Escherichia coli resulted in arsenite detoxification at mesophilic temperatures. Although TtArsM does not contain a canonical arsenite binding site, the purified protein does catalyze SAM-dependent arsenite methylation with formation of monomethylarsenites (MMAs) and dimethylarsenites (DMAs). In addition, in vitro analyses confirmed the unique interaction between TtArsM and TtSmtB. Next, a highly efficient ThermoCas9-based genome-editing tool was developed to delete the TtArsM-encoding gene on the T. thermophilus genome and to confirm its involvement in the arsenite detoxification system. Finally, the TtarsX efflux pump gene in the T. thermophilus ΔTtarsM genome was substituted by a gene encoding a stabilized yellow fluorescent protein (sYFP) to create a sensitive genome-based bioreporter system for the detection of arsenic ions.
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27
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Li X, Liu X, Cao N, Fang S, Yu C. Adaptation mechanisms of arsenic metabolism genes and their host microorganisms in soils with different arsenic contamination levels around abandoned gold tailings. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 291:117994. [PMID: 34547657 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soil around the gold tailing due to the smelting process of wastewater and solid waste can lead to metal (loids) contamination, especially arsenic (As). Soil microorganisms have gradually evolved adaptive mechanisms in the process of long-term adaptation to As contamination. However, comprehensive investigations on As metabolism genes and their host microbial communities in soil profiles with different levels under long-term As contamination are lacking. There are selected three typical soil profiles (0-100 cm) with different metal (loids) contamination levels (L-low, M-moderate and H-high) around tailings in this research. It uses a Metagenomic approach to explore the adaptation mechanisms of arsenic metabolism genes and arsenic metabolism gene host microorganisms in both horizontal and vertical dimensions. The results showed that four categories of As metabolism genes were prevalent in soil profiles at different As contamination, with As reduction genes being the most abundant, followed by As oxidation genes, then respiration genes and methylation genes. The As metabolism genes arsBCR, aioE, arsPH, arrAB increased with the increase of metal (loid) contaminants concentration. Longitudinal arsA, arrA, aioA, arsM and acr3 increased in abundance in deep soil. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi were the dominant phylum of As metabolism gene host microorganisms. Different concentrations of metal (loid) contamination significantly affected the distribution of host As metabolism genes. Random forest prediction identified As as the most critical driver of As metabolism genes and their host microorganisms. Overall, this study provides a reference for a comprehensive investigation of the detoxification mechanisms of As metabolism microorganisms in soil profiles with different As contamination conditions, and is important for the development of As metabolism gene host microbial strains and engineering applications of microbial technologies to manage As contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianhong Li
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaoxia Liu
- Beijing Station of Agro-Environmental Monitoring, Test and Supervision Center of Agro-Environmental Quality, MOA, Beijing, China
| | - Neng Cao
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Songjun Fang
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Caihong Yu
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
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28
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Chen J, Zhang J, Wu YF, Zhao FJ, Rosen BP. ArsV and ArsW provide synergistic resistance to the antibiotic methylarsenite. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:7550-7562. [PMID: 34676971 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Toxic organoarsenicals enter the environment from biogenic and anthropogenic activities such as microbial methylation of inorganic arsenic and pentavalent herbicides such as monosodium methylarsenate (MSMA or MAs(V)). Trivalent MAs(III) is considerably more toxic than arsenite or arsenate. Microbes have evolved mechanisms to detoxify organoarsenicals. We previously identified ArsV, a flavin-linked monooxygenase and demonstrated that it confers resistance to methylarsenite by oxidation to methylarsenate. The arsV gene is usually in an arsenic resistance (ars) operon controlled by an ArsR repressor and adjacent to a methylarsenite efflux gene, either arsK or a gene for a putative transporter. Here we show that Paracoccus sp. SY oxidizes methylarsenite. It has an ars operon with three genes, arsR, arsV and a transport gene termed arsW. Heterologous expression of arsV in Escherichia coli conferred resistance to MAs(III), while arsW did not. Co-expression of arsV and arsW increased resistance compared with either alone. The cells oxidized methylarsenite and accumulated less methylarsenate. Everted membrane vesicles from E. coli cells expressing arsW-accumulated methylarsenate. We propose that ArsV is a monooxygenase that oxidizes methylarsenite to methylarsenate, which is extruded by ArsW, one of only a few known pentavalent organoarsenical efflux permeases, a novel pathway of organoarsenical resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.,Institute of Environment Remediation and Human Health, and College of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yi-Fei Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Fang-Jie Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
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29
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Zhang C, Xiao X, Zhao Y, Zhou J, Sun B, Liang Y. Patterns of microbial arsenic detoxification genes in low-arsenic continental paddy soils. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 201:111584. [PMID: 34186083 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microbes mediate the arsenic detoxification in paddy soils, determining the fate of arsenic in soils and its availability to rice plants, yet little is known about the structures and abundances of functional genes as well as the driving forces in low-arsenic paddy fields. To depict the arsenic detoxification functional gene patterns, 429 soil samples were collected from 39 paddy fields across four climatic zones in China, with the arsenic contents ranged from 9.76 to 19.74 mg kg-1. GeoChip, a microarray-based metagenomic technique, was used to analyze the functional genes involved in arsenic detoxification. A total of three arsenic detoxification gene families were detected, aoxB, arxA (arsenite oxidase), and arsM (methyltransferase). Both the diversity and abundance of functional genes varied significantly among sampling sites (p < 0.05) and decreased along the arsenic gradient. Arsenic detoxification genes were carried by bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Redundancy analysis showed that soil samples were grouped according to both climatic zones they located in and arsenic gradients at the continental scale. Soil pH, average annual temperature (AAT), arsenic, annual average precipitation (AAP), and CEC were the most important factors in shaping the functional structure. Structural equation modeling showed that AAT (r = 0.21), pH (r = -0.20), and arsenic contents (r = -0.11) directly affected the arsenic detoxification gene abundances. These findings provide an overall picture of microbial communities involved in arsenic detoxification in paddy soils and reveal the importance of climatic factors in shaping functional genes across a large spatial scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Zhang
- School of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Xian Xiao
- School of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China.
| | - Yuan Zhao
- School of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, And School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94270, USA
| | - Bo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Yuting Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
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30
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Li YP, Fekih IB, Fru EC, Moraleda-Munoz A, Li X, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M, Rensing C. Antimicrobial Activity of Metals and Metalloids. Annu Rev Microbiol 2021; 75:175-197. [PMID: 34343021 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032921-123231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Competition shapes evolution. Toxic metals and metalloids have exerted selective pressure on life since the rise of the first organisms on the Earth, which has led to the evolution and acquisition of resistance mechanisms against them, as well as mechanisms to weaponize them. Microorganisms exploit antimicrobial metals and metalloids to gain competitive advantage over other members of microbial communities. This exerts a strong selective pressure that drives evolution of resistance. This review describes, with a focus on arsenic and copper, how microorganisms exploit metals and metalloids for predation and how metal- and metalloid-dependent predation may have been a driving force for evolution of microbial resistance against metals and metalloids. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Ping Li
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 35002, China;
| | - Ibtissem Ben Fekih
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 35002, China;
| | - Ernest Chi Fru
- Centre for Geobiology and Geochemistry, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3AT Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Aurelio Moraleda-Munoz
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Xuanji Li
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 35002, China;
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31
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Li J, Chen B, Zhang X, Hao Z, Zhang X, Zhu Y. Arsenic transformation and volatilization by arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis under axenic conditions. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 413:125390. [PMID: 33611032 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
It is well known that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can enhance plant arsenic (As) resistance by influencing As uptake, translocation, and speciation; however, As transformation and volatilization by an entire plant inoculated with AM fungus remains uninvestigated. In the present study, AM symbiosis of Rhizophagus irregularis with unbroken Medicago sativa was successfully established in vitro. Afterwards, five concentrations of arsenate were applied to the culture media. The results showed that AM inoculation could methylate inorganic As into dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), dimethylarsine (DMAsH), and trimethylarsine (TMAs), which were detected in the plants, media, or air. Volatile As, accounting for a small proportion of total organic As, appeared under high arsenate exposure, accompanied by remarkable upregulation of root RiMT-11, an arsenite methyltransferase gene in R. irregularis. In addition, AM colonization significantly increased arsenite percentages in plant tissues and external media. Regardless of As species, AM inoculation tended to release the transformed As into the environment rather than transfer them to plant tissues. Our present study, for the first time, comprehensively verified As methylation, volatilization, and reduction by AM fungus associated with the entire plant under absolute axenic conditions and gained a deeper insight into As metabolism in AM symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinglong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Baodong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Zhipeng Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Xuemeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yongguan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
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32
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Foflonker F, Blaby-Haas CE. Colocality to Cofunctionality: Eukaryotic Gene Neighborhoods as a Resource for Function Discovery. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:650-662. [PMID: 32886760 PMCID: PMC7826186 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Diverging from the classic paradigm of random gene order in eukaryotes, gene proximity can be leveraged to systematically identify functionally related gene neighborhoods in eukaryotes, utilizing techniques pioneered in bacteria. Current methods of identifying gene neighborhoods typically rely on sequence similarity to characterized gene products. However, this approach is not robust for nonmodel organisms like algae, which are evolutionarily distant from well-characterized model organisms. Here, we utilize a comparative genomic approach to identify evolutionarily conserved proximal orthologous gene pairs conserved across at least two taxonomic classes of green algae. A total of 317 gene neighborhoods were identified. In some cases, gene proximity appears to have been conserved since before the streptophyte–chlorophyte split, 1,000 Ma. Using functional inferences derived from reconstructed evolutionary relationships, we identified several novel functional clusters. A putative mycosporine-like amino acid, “sunscreen,” neighborhood contains genes similar to either vertebrate or cyanobacterial pathways, suggesting a novel mosaic biosynthetic pathway in green algae. One of two putative arsenic-detoxification neighborhoods includes an organoarsenical transporter (ArsJ), a glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase-like gene, homologs of which are involved in arsenic detoxification in bacteria, and a novel algal-specific phosphoglycerate kinase-like gene. Mutants of the ArsJ-like transporter and phosphoglycerate kinase-like genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were found to be sensitive to arsenate, providing experimental support for the role of these identified neighbors in resistance to arsenate. Potential evolutionary origins of neighborhoods are discussed, and updated annotations for formerly poorly annotated genes are presented, highlighting the potential of this strategy for functional annotation.
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33
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Slavin YN, Ivanova K, Hoyo J, Perelshtein I, Owen G, Haegert A, Lin YY, LeBihan S, Gedanken A, Häfeli UO, Tzanov T, Bach H. Novel Lignin-Capped Silver Nanoparticles against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:22098-22109. [PMID: 33945683 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c16921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and the resulting infections are increasingly becoming a public health issue. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are responsible for infections leading to increased morbidity and mortality in hospitals, prolonged time of hospitalization, and additional burden to financial costs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel antibacterial agents that will both treat MDR infections and outsmart the bacterial evolutionary mechanisms, preventing further resistance development. In this study, a green synthesis employing nontoxic lignin as both reducing and capping agents was adopted to formulate stable and biocompatible silver-lignin nanoparticles (NPs) exhibiting antibacterial activity. The resulting silver-lignin NPs were approximately 20 nm in diameter and did not agglomerate after one year of storage at 4 °C. They were able to inhibit the growth of a panel of MDR clinical isolates, including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii, at concentrations that did not affect the viability of a monocyte-derived THP-1 human cell line. Furthermore, the exposure of silver-lignin NPs to the THP-1 cells led to a significant increase in the secretion of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, demonstrating the potential of these particles to act as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent simultaneously. P. aeruginosa genes linked with efflux, heavy metal resistance, capsular biosynthesis, and quorum sensing were investigated for changes in gene expression upon sublethal exposure to the silver-lignin NPs. Genes encoding for membrane proteins with an efflux function were upregulated. However, all other genes were membrane proteins that did not efflux metals and were downregulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael N Slavin
- Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kristina Ivanova
- Grup de Biotecnologia Molecular i Industrial, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Barcelona 08222, Spain
| | - Javier Hoyo
- Grup de Biotecnologia Molecular i Industrial, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Barcelona 08222, Spain
| | - Ilana Perelshtein
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Gethin Owen
- Department of Dentistry, Centre for High-Throughput Phenogenomics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Anne Haegert
- Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Yen-Yi Lin
- Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Stephane LeBihan
- Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis, Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Aharon Gedanken
- Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Urs O Häfeli
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Tzanko Tzanov
- Grup de Biotecnologia Molecular i Industrial, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Barcelona 08222, Spain
| | - Horacio Bach
- Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Arsenic methylation - Lessons from three decades of research. Toxicology 2021; 457:152800. [PMID: 33901604 PMCID: PMC10048126 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2021.152800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Between 1990 and 2020, our understanding of the significance of arsenic biomethylation changed in remarkable ways. At the beginning of this period, the conversion of inorganic arsenic into mono- and di-methylated metabolites was viewed primarily as a process that altered the kinetic behavior of arsenic. By increasing the rate of clearance of arsenic, the formation of methylated metabolites reduced exposure to this toxin; that is, methylation was detoxification. By 2020, it was clear that at least some of the toxic effects associated with As exposure depended on formation of methylated metabolites containing trivalent arsenic. Because the trivalent oxidation state of arsenic is associated with increased potency as a cytotoxin and clastogen, these findings were consistent with methylation-related changes in the dynamic behavior of arsenic. That is, methylation was activation. Our current understanding of the role of methylation as a modifier of kinetic and dynamic behaviors of arsenic is the product of research at molecular, cellular, organismic, and population levels. This information provides a basis for refining our estimates of risk associated with long term exposure to inorganic arsenic in environmental media, food, and water. This report summarizes the growth of our knowledge of enzymatically catalyzed methylation of arsenic over this period and considers the prospects for new discoveries.
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Stýblo M, Venkatratnam A, Fry RC, Thomas DJ. Origins, fate, and actions of methylated trivalent metabolites of inorganic arsenic: progress and prospects. Arch Toxicol 2021; 95:1547-1572. [PMID: 33768354 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-03028-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The toxic metalloid inorganic arsenic (iAs) is widely distributed in the environment. Chronic exposure to iAs from environmental sources has been linked to a variety of human diseases. Methylation of iAs is the primary pathway for metabolism of iAs. In humans, methylation of iAs is catalyzed by arsenic (+ 3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT). Conversion of iAs to mono- and di-methylated species (MAs and DMAs) detoxifies iAs by increasing the rate of whole body clearance of arsenic. Interindividual differences in iAs metabolism play key roles in pathogenesis of and susceptibility to a range of disease outcomes associated with iAs exposure. These adverse health effects are in part associated with the production of methylated trivalent arsenic species, methylarsonous acid (MAsIII) and dimethylarsinous acid (DMAsIII), during AS3MT-catalyzed methylation of iAs. The formation of these metabolites activates iAs to unique forms that cause disease initiation and progression. Taken together, the current evidence suggests that methylation of iAs is a pathway for detoxification and for activation of the metalloid. Beyond this general understanding of the consequences of iAs methylation, many questions remain unanswered. Our knowledge of metabolic targets for MAsIII and DMAsIII in human cells and mechanisms for interactions between these arsenicals and targets is incomplete. Development of novel analytical methods for quantitation of MAsIII and DMAsIII in biological samples promises to address some of these gaps. Here, we summarize current knowledge of the enzymatic basis of MAsIII and DMAsIII formation, the toxic actions of these metabolites, and methods available for their detection and quantification in biomatrices. Major knowledge gaps and future research directions are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miroslav Stýblo
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Abhishek Venkatratnam
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Rebecca C Fry
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - David J Thomas
- Chemical Characterization and Exposure Division, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
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Torbøl Pedersen J, De Loma J, Levi M, Palmgren M, Broberg K. Predicted AS3MT Proteins Methylate Arsenic and Support Two Major Phylogenetic AS3MT Groups. Chem Res Toxicol 2020; 33:3041-3047. [PMID: 33156617 PMCID: PMC7759005 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Inorganic
arsenic is one of the most toxic and carcinogenic substances
in the environment, but many organisms, including humans, methylate
inorganic arsenic to mono-, di-, and trimethylated arsenic metabolites,
which the organism can excrete. In humans and other eukaryotic organisms,
the arsenite methyltransferase (AS3MT) protein methylates arsenite.
AS3MT sequences from eukaryotic organisms group phylogenetically with
predicted eubacterial AS3MT sequences, which has led to the suggestion
that AS3MT was acquired from eubacteria by multiple events of horizontal
gene transfer. In this study, we evaluated whether 55 (out of which
47 were predicted based on protein sequence similarity) sequences
encoding putative AS3MT orthologues in 47 species from different kingdoms
can indeed methylate arsenic. Fifty-three of the proteins showed arsenic
methylating capacity. For example, the predicted AS3MT of the human
gut bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii methylated
arsenic efficiently. We performed a kinetic analysis of 14 AS3MT proteins
representing two phylogenetically distinct clades (Group 1 and 2)
that each contain both eubacterial and eukaryotic sequences. We found
that animal and bacterial AS3MTs in Group 1 rarely produce trimethylated
arsenic, whereas Hydra vulgaris and the bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris in Group 2 produce trimethylated
arsenic metabolites. These findings suggest that animals during evolution
have acquired different arsenic methylating phenotypes from different
bacteria. Further, it shows that humans carry two bacterial systems
for arsenic methylation: one bacterium-derived AS3MT from Group 1
incorporated in the human genome and one from Group 2 in F.
prausnitzii present in the gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper Torbøl Pedersen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-1871, Denmark.,Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Jessica De Loma
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Michael Levi
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Michael Palmgren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-1871, Denmark
| | - Karin Broberg
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-1871, Denmark.,Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
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Dong Y, Gao M, Liu X, Qiu W, Song Z. The mechanism of polystyrene microplastics to affect arsenic volatilization in arsenic-contaminated paddy soils. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 398:122896. [PMID: 32454328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Different concentrations and sizes of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MP) were added to low (25.9) and high (56.8) mg kg-1 As-contaminated soil to investigate the effects of PS-MP on soil As volatilization. Either S1 (10 μm) or S2 (0.1-1 μm) PS-MP was added to As-contaminated soil at 0.8%, which increased As volatilization by 13.7% and 7.4% in low As-contaminated soil; and 21.8% and 16.5% in high As-contaminated soil, respectively. The addition of PS-MP reduced the water-soluble (WS) As content, increased the non-specifically-sorbed (NSS), specifically-sorbed (SS) As content, soil catalase (CAT) and urease (UE) activities. The abundance of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes showed opposite trends to As volatilization, while the abundance of Bacteroidetes and arsM gene expression exhibited similar variability to As volatilization over the 7-week experiment. Therefore, we postulate that in As-contaminated soil, As volatilization was enhanced in the presence of PS-MP due to two possible mechanisms: 1) PS-MP affects the abundance of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and arsM gene in soil; 2) PS-MP increases As volatilization via reducing soil nutrient and increasing the content of SS As. Our results highlighted the importance of investigating impacts of microplastics on the volatility of specific contaminants to implement effective environmental remediation strategies in polluted farmlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youming Dong
- Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Tianjin, 300191, China
| | - Minling Gao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Xuewei Liu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Weiwen Qiu
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
| | - Zhengguo Song
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China.
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38
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Peoples LM, Kyaw TS, Ugalde JA, Mullane KK, Chastain RA, Yayanos AA, Kusube M, Methé BA, Bartlett DH. Distinctive gene and protein characteristics of extremely piezophilic Colwellia. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:692. [PMID: 33023469 PMCID: PMC7542103 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-07102-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The deep ocean is characterized by low temperatures, high hydrostatic pressures, and low concentrations of organic matter. While these conditions likely select for distinct genomic characteristics within prokaryotes, the attributes facilitating adaptation to the deep ocean are relatively unexplored. In this study, we compared the genomes of seven strains within the genus Colwellia, including some of the most piezophilic microbes known, to identify genomic features that enable life in the deep sea. Results Significant differences were found to exist between piezophilic and non-piezophilic strains of Colwellia. Piezophilic Colwellia have a more basic and hydrophobic proteome. The piezophilic abyssal and hadal isolates have more genes involved in replication/recombination/repair, cell wall/membrane biogenesis, and cell motility. The characteristics of respiration, pilus generation, and membrane fluidity adjustment vary between the strains, with operons for a nuo dehydrogenase and a tad pilus only present in the piezophiles. In contrast, the piezosensitive members are unique in having the capacity for dissimilatory nitrite and TMAO reduction. A number of genes exist only within deep-sea adapted species, such as those encoding d-alanine-d-alanine ligase for peptidoglycan formation, alanine dehydrogenase for NADH/NAD+ homeostasis, and a SAM methyltransferase for tRNA modification. Many of these piezophile-specific genes are in variable regions of the genome near genomic islands, transposases, and toxin-antitoxin systems. Conclusions We identified a number of adaptations that may facilitate deep-sea radiation in members of the genus Colwellia, as well as in other piezophilic bacteria. An enrichment in more basic and hydrophobic amino acids could help piezophiles stabilize and limit water intrusion into proteins as a result of high pressure. Variations in genes associated with the membrane, including those involved in unsaturated fatty acid production and respiration, indicate that membrane-based adaptations are critical for coping with high pressure. The presence of many piezophile-specific genes near genomic islands highlights that adaptation to the deep ocean may be facilitated by horizontal gene transfer through transposases or other mobile elements. Some of these genes are amenable to further study in genetically tractable piezophilic and piezotolerant deep-sea microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan M Peoples
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA.,Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana, Polson, MT, 59860, USA
| | - Than S Kyaw
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA
| | - Juan A Ugalde
- Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research on Bacterial Resistance (MICROB-R), Santiago, Chile
| | - Kelli K Mullane
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA
| | - Roger A Chastain
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA
| | - A Aristides Yayanos
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA
| | - Masataka Kusube
- Department of Material Science, National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, 77 Noshima, Nada-cho, Gobo, Wakayama, 644-0023, Japan
| | - Barbara A Methé
- Center for Microbiome and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Douglas H Bartlett
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA.
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Garbinski LD, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M. Organoarsenicals inhibit bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis by targeting the essential enzyme MurA. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 254:126911. [PMID: 32957300 PMCID: PMC7509207 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Trivalent organoarsenicals such as methylarsenite (MAs(III)) are considerably more toxic than inorganic arsenate (As(V)) or arsenite (As(III)). In microbial communities MAs(III) exhibits significant antimicrobial activity. Although MAs(III) and other organoarsenicals contribute to the global arsenic biogeocycle, how they exert antibiotic-like properties is largely unknown. To identify possible targets of MAs(III), a genomic library of the gram-negative bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens 200, was expressed in Escherichia coli with selection for MAs(III) resistance. One clone contained the S. putrefaciens murA gene (SpmurA), which catalyzes the first committed step in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Overexpression of SpmurA conferred MAs(III) resistance to E. coli. Purified SpMurA was inhibited by MAs(III), phenylarsenite (PhAs(III)) or the phosphonate antibiotic fosfomycin but not by inorganic As(III). Fosfomycin inhibits MurA by binding to a conserved residue that corresponds to Cys117 in SpMurA. A C117D mutant was resistant to fosfomycin but remained sensitive to MAs(III), indicating that the two compounds have different mechanisms of action. New inhibitors of peptidoglycan biosynthesis are highly sought after as antimicrobial drugs, and organoarsenicals represent a new area for the development of novel compounds for combating the threat of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis D Garbinski
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
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40
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Pei Y, Mamtimin T, Ji J, Khan A, Kakade A, Zhou T, Yu Z, Zain H, Yang W, Ling Z, Zhang W, Zhang Y, Li X. The guanidine thiocyanate-high EDTA method for total microbial RNA extraction from severely heavy metal-contaminated soils. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 14:465-478. [PMID: 32578381 PMCID: PMC7936289 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular analyses relying on RNA, as a direct way to unravel active microbes and their functional genes, have received increasing attention from environmental researchers recently. However, extracting sufficient and high‐quality total microbial RNA from seriously heavy metal‐contaminated soils is still a challenge. In this study, the guanidine thiocyanate‐high EDTA (GTHE) method was established and optimized for recovering high quantity and quality of RNA from long‐term heavy metal‐contaminated soils. Due to the low microbial biomass in the soils, we combined multiple strong denaturants and intense mechanical lysis to break cells for increasing RNA yields. To minimize RNAase and heavy metals interference on RNA integrity, the concentrations of guanidine thiocyanate and EDTA were increased from 0.5 to 0.625 ml g−1 soil and 10 to 100 mM, respectively. This optimized GTHE method was applied to seven severely contaminated soils, and the RNA recovery efficiencies were 2.80 ~ 59.41 μg g−1 soil. The total microbial RNA of non‐Cr(VI) (NT) and Cr(VI)‐treated (CT) samples was utilized for molecular analyses. The result of qRT‐PCR demonstrated that the expressions of two tested genes, chrA and yieF, were respectively upregulated 4.12‐ and 62.43‐fold after Cr(VI) treatment. The total microbial RNA extracted from NT and CT samples, respectively, reached to 26.70 μg and 30.75 μg, which were much higher than the required amount (5 μg) for metatranscriptomic library construction. Besides, ratios of mRNA read were more than 86%, which indicated the high‐quality libraries constructed for metatranscriptomic analysis. In summary, the GTHE method is useful to study microbes of contaminated habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxin Pei
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Tursunay Mamtimin
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Jing Ji
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Aman Khan
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Apurva Kakade
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Tuoyu Zhou
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Zhengsheng Yu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Hajira Zain
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Wenzhi Yang
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Zhenmin Ling
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Wenya Zhang
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Yingmei Zhang
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Xiangkai Li
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environment Pollution, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshuinanlu #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory for Resources Utilization Technology of Unconventional Water of Gansu Province, Gansu Academy of Membrane Science and Technology, Duanjiatanlu #1272, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
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41
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Emamalipour M, Seidi K, Zununi Vahed S, Jahanban-Esfahlan A, Jaymand M, Majdi H, Amoozgar Z, Chitkushev LT, Javaheri T, Jahanban-Esfahlan R, Zare P. Horizontal Gene Transfer: From Evolutionary Flexibility to Disease Progression. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:229. [PMID: 32509768 PMCID: PMC7248198 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Flexibility in the exchange of genetic material takes place between different organisms of the same or different species. This phenomenon is known to play a key role in the genetic, physiological, and ecological performance of the host. Exchange of genetic materials can cause both beneficial and/or adverse biological consequences. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) as a general mechanism leads to biodiversity and biological innovations in nature. HGT mediators are one of the genetic engineering tools used for selective introduction of desired changes in the genome for gene/cell therapy purposes. HGT, however, is crucial in development, emergence, and recurrence of various human-related diseases, such as cancer, genetic-, metabolic-, and neurodegenerative disorders and can negatively affect the therapeutic outcome by promoting resistant forms or disrupting the performance of genome editing toolkits. Because of the importance of HGT and its vital physio- and pathological roles, here the variety of HGT mechanisms are reviewed, ranging from extracellular vesicles (EVs) and nanotubes in prokaryotes to cell-free DNA and apoptotic bodies in eukaryotes. Next, we argue that HGT plays a role both in the development of useful features and in pathological states associated with emerging and recurrent forms of the disease. A better understanding of the different HGT mediators and their genome-altering effects/potentials may pave the way for the development of more effective therapeutic and diagnostic regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Emamalipour
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Khaled Seidi
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | | | - Mehdi Jaymand
- Nano Drug Delivery Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Hasan Majdi
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Zohreh Amoozgar
- Edwin L. Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - L T Chitkushev
- Department of Computer Science, Metropolitan College, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.,Health Informatics Lab, Metropolitan College, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tahereh Javaheri
- Health Informatics Lab, Metropolitan College, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Rana Jahanban-Esfahlan
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Peyman Zare
- Faculty of Medicine, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,Dioscuri Center of Chromatin Biology and Epigenomics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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42
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Zhou GW, Yang XR, Zheng F, Zhang ZX, Zheng BX, Zhu YG, Xue XM. Arsenic transformation mediated by gut microbiota affects the fecundity of Caenorhabditis elegans. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 260:113991. [PMID: 31991357 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.113991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic biotransformation has been discovered in guts of soil invertebrates. Reproduction of invertebrates is sensitive to arsenic contamination in soils. However, little is known about the impact of gut microbe-mediated arsenic biotransformation on the fecundity of invertebrates. Here, Caenorhabditis elegans was firstly pre-fed with Escherichia coli BL21 possessing the capability of reducing arsenate [As(V)] or BL21M having the ability to reduce As(V) and methylate arsenite [As(III)], then inoculated worms were transferred to inactive E. coli AW3110 (harboring no arsenic transformation gene)-seeded plates treated with As(V) at different concentrations. Quantification of gut microbes showed that both E. coli BL21 and BL21M stably colonized in the guts after worms were cultured on inactive E. coli AW3110-seeded plates for 72 h. The analysis of arsenic species indicated that there was As(III) in C. elegans guts colonized with E. coli BL21, As(III) and dimethylarsinic acid [DMAs(V)] in C. elegans guts with E. coli BL21M exposed to As(V) for 6 h. After treatment of 100 μM As(V), decrease in brood sizes was observed for worms that were colonized with E. coli BL21 or BL21M compared to that with AW3110 in the guts. The levels of vitellogenin (VTG), glutathione S-transferases (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), closely linked to reproduction and antioxidation-linked indicators, were the highest in worms whose guts colonized with E. coli BL21, followed by worms colonized with E. coli BL21M and worms colonized with inactive E. coli AW3110 exposed to As(V). Our results indicated the toxic impact of As(III) and DMAs(V) produced by gut microbes on reproduction of C. elegans. The work provides novel insight into the interplay between arsenic biotransformation mediated by gut microbes and the host fecundity in soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Wei Zhou
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
| | - Xiao-Ru Yang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Fei Zheng
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Zi-Xing Zhang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
| | - Bang-Xiao Zheng
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Niemenkatu 73, Lahti, 15140, Finland
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Xi-Mei Xue
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China.
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The Great Oxidation Event expanded the genetic repertoire of arsenic metabolism and cycling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:10414-10421. [PMID: 32350143 PMCID: PMC7229686 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2001063117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The rise of oxygen on the early Earth about 2.4 billion years ago reorganized the redox cycle of harmful metal(loids), including that of arsenic, which doubtlessly imposed substantial barriers to the physiology and diversification of life. Evaluating the adaptive biological responses to these environmental challenges is inherently difficult because of the paucity of fossil records. Here we applied molecular clock analyses to 13 gene families participating in principal pathways of arsenic resistance and cycling, to explore the nature of early arsenic biogeocycles and decipher feedbacks associated with planetary oxygenation. Our results reveal the advent of nascent arsenic resistance systems under the anoxic environment predating the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), with the primary function of detoxifying reduced arsenic compounds that were abundant in Archean environments. To cope with the increased toxicity of oxidized arsenic species that occurred as oxygen built up in Earth's atmosphere, we found that parts of preexisting detoxification systems for trivalent arsenicals were merged with newly emerged pathways that originated via convergent evolution. Further expansion of arsenic resistance systems was made feasible by incorporation of oxygen-dependent enzymatic pathways into the detoxification network. These genetic innovations, together with adaptive responses to other redox-sensitive metals, provided organisms with novel mechanisms for adaption to changes in global biogeocycles that emerged as a consequence of the GOE.
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44
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The complex phylogenetic relationships of a 4mC/6mA DNA methyltransferase in prokaryotes. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2020; 149:106837. [PMID: 32304827 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
DNA methyltransferases are proteins that modify DNA via attachment of methyl groups to nucleobases and are ubiquitous across the bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic domains of life. Here, we investigated the complex evolutionary history of the large and consequential 4mC/6mA DNA methyltransferase protein family using phylogenetic reconstruction of amino acid sequences. We present a well-supported phylogeny of this family based on systematic sampling of taxa across superphyla of bacteria and archaea. We compared the phylogeny to a current representation of the species tree of life and found that the 4mC/6mA methyltransferase family has a strikingly complex evolutionary history that likely began sometime after the last universal common ancestor of life diverged into the bacterial and archaeal lineages and probably involved many horizontal gene transfers within and between domains. Despite the complexity of its evolutionary history, we inferred that only one significant shift in molecular evolutionary rate characterizes the diversification of this protein family.
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Yan Y, Chen J, Galván AE, Garbinski LD, Zhu YG, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M. Reduction of Organoarsenical Herbicides and Antimicrobial Growth Promoters by the Legume Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:13648-13656. [PMID: 31682413 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Massive amounts of methyl [e.g., methylarsenate, MAs(V)] and aromatic arsenicals [e.g., roxarsone (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylarsonate, Rox(V)] have been utilized as herbicides for weed control and growth promotors for poultry and swine, respectively. The majority of these organoarsenicals degrade into more toxic inorganic species. Here, we demonstrate that the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti both reduces MAs(V) to MAs(III) and catalyzes sequential two-step reduction of nitro and arsenate groups in Rox(V), producing the highly toxic trivalent amino aromatic derivative 4-hydroxy-3-aminophenylarsenite (HAPA(III)). The existence of this process suggests that S. meliloti possesses the ability to transform pentavalent methyl and aromatic arsenicals into antibiotics to provide a competitive advantage over other microbes, which would be a critical process for the synthetic aromatic arsenicals to function as antimicrobial growth promoters. The activated trivalent aromatic arsenicals are degraded into less-toxic inorganic species by an MAs(III)-demethylating aerobe, suggesting that environmental aromatic arsenicals also undergo a multiple-step degradation pathway, in analogy with the previously reported demethylation pathway of the methylarsenate herbicide. We further show that an FAD-NADPH-dependent nitroreductase encoded by mdaB gene catalyzes nitroreduction of roxarsone both in vivo and in vitro. Our results demonstrate that environmental organoarsenicals trigger competition between members of microbial communities, resulting in gradual degradation of organoarsenicals and contamination by inorganic arsenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering , Huaqiao University , Xiamen 361021 , Fujian , China
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , Florida International University , Miami 33199 , Florida , United States
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , Florida International University , Miami 33199 , Florida , United States
| | - Adriana E Galván
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , Florida International University , Miami 33199 , Florida , United States
| | - Luis D Garbinski
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , Florida International University , Miami 33199 , Florida , United States
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xiamen 361021 , Fujian , China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environ-mental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100085 , Hebei , China
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , Florida International University , Miami 33199 , Florida , United States
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine , Florida International University , Miami 33199 , Florida , United States
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Dunivin TK, Yeh SY, Shade A. A global survey of arsenic-related genes in soil microbiomes. BMC Biol 2019; 17:45. [PMID: 31146755 PMCID: PMC6543643 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0661-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental resistomes include transferable microbial genes. One important resistome component is resistance to arsenic, a ubiquitous and toxic metalloid that can have negative and chronic consequences for human and animal health. The distribution of arsenic resistance and metabolism genes in the environment is not well understood. However, microbial communities and their resistomes mediate key transformations of arsenic that are expected to impact both biogeochemistry and local toxicity. RESULTS We examined the phylogenetic diversity, genomic location (chromosome or plasmid), and biogeography of arsenic resistance and metabolism genes in 922 soil genomes and 38 metagenomes. To do so, we developed a bioinformatic toolkit that includes BLAST databases, hidden Markov models and resources for gene-targeted assembly of nine arsenic resistance and metabolism genes: acr3, aioA, arsB, arsC (grx), arsC (trx), arsD, arsM, arrA, and arxA. Though arsenic-related genes were common, they were not universally detected, contradicting the common conjecture that all organisms have them. From major clades of arsenic-related genes, we inferred their potential for horizontal and vertical transfer. Different types and proportions of genes were detected across soils, suggesting microbial community composition will, in part, determine local arsenic toxicity and biogeochemistry. While arsenic-related genes were globally distributed, particular sequence variants were highly endemic (e.g., acr3), suggesting dispersal limitation. The gene encoding arsenic methylase arsM was unexpectedly abundant in soil metagenomes (median 48%), suggesting that it plays a prominent role in global arsenic biogeochemistry. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis advances understanding of arsenic resistance, metabolism, and biogeochemistry, and our approach provides a roadmap for the ecological investigation of environmental resistomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor K Dunivin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Environmental and Integrative Toxicological Sciences Doctoral Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Susanna Y Yeh
- Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Ashley Shade
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48834, USA.
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Nadar VS, Chen J, Dheeman DS, Galván AE, Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Kandavelu P, Sankaran B, Kuramata M, Ishikawa S, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M. Arsinothricin, an arsenic-containing non-proteinogenic amino acid analog of glutamate, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Commun Biol 2019; 2:131. [PMID: 30993215 PMCID: PMC6465285 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0365-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance highlights the urgent need for new antibiotics. Organoarsenicals have been used as antimicrobials since Paul Ehrlich's salvarsan. Recently a soil bacterium was shown to produce the organoarsenical arsinothricin. We demonstrate that arsinothricin, a non-proteinogenic analog of glutamate that inhibits glutamine synthetase, is an effective broad-spectrum antibiotic against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, suggesting that bacteria have evolved the ability to utilize the pervasive environmental toxic metalloid arsenic to produce a potent antimicrobial. With every new antibiotic, resistance inevitably arises. The arsN1 gene, widely distributed in bacterial arsenic resistance (ars) operons, selectively confers resistance to arsinothricin by acetylation of the α-amino group. Crystal structures of ArsN1 N-acetyltransferase, with or without arsinothricin, shed light on the mechanism of its substrate selectivity. These findings have the potential for development of a new class of organoarsenical antimicrobials and ArsN1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkadesh Sarkarai Nadar
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Dharmendra S. Dheeman
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
- Present Address: Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN UK
| | - Adriana Emilce Galván
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
- Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI-CONICET), Tucumán, T4001MVB Argentina
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Palani Kandavelu
- SER-CAT and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA
| | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Masato Kuramata
- Division of Hazardous Chemicals, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604 Japan
| | - Satoru Ishikawa
- Division of Hazardous Chemicals, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604 Japan
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
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Avram S, Udrea AM, Negrea A, Ciopec M, Duteanu N, Postolache C, Duda-Seiman C, Duda-Seiman D, Shaposhnikov S. Prevention of Deficit in Neuropsychiatric Disorders through Monitoring of Arsenic and Its Derivatives as Well as Through Bioinformatics and Cheminformatics. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20081804. [PMID: 31013686 PMCID: PMC6514589 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20081804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric disorders are induced by various risk factors, including direct exposure to environmental chemicals. Arsenic exposure induces neurodegeneration and severe psychiatric disorders, but the molecular mechanisms by which brain damage is induced are not yet elucidated. Our aim is to better understand the molecular mechanisms of arsenic toxicity in the brain and to elucidate possible ways to prevent arsenic neurotoxicity, by reviewing significant experimental, bioinformatics, and cheminformatics studies. Brain damage induced by arsenic exposure is discussed taking in account: the correlation between neuropsychiatric disorders and the presence of arsenic and its derivatives in the brain; possible molecular mechanisms by which arsenic induces disturbances of cognitive and behavioral human functions; and arsenic influence during psychiatric treatments. Additionally, we present bioinformatics and cheminformatics tools used for studying brain toxicity of arsenic and its derivatives, new nanoparticles used as arsenic delivery systems into the human body, and experimental ways to prevent arsenic contamination by its removal from water. The main aim of the present paper is to correlate bioinformatics, cheminformatics, and experimental information on the molecular mechanism of cerebral damage induced by exposure to arsenic, and to elucidate more efficient methods used to reduce its toxicity in real groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Speranta Avram
- Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 91-95, 050095 Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Ana Maria Udrea
- National Institute for Laser Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Street 409, 077125 Magurele, Romania.
| | - Adina Negrea
- Politehnica University of Timisoara, Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Piata Victoriei, 2, 300006 Timisoara, Romania.
| | - Mihaela Ciopec
- Politehnica University of Timisoara, Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Piata Victoriei, 2, 300006 Timisoara, Romania.
| | - Narcis Duteanu
- Politehnica University of Timisoara, Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Piata Victoriei, 2, 300006 Timisoara, Romania.
| | - Carmen Postolache
- Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 91-95, 050095 Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Corina Duda-Seiman
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biology, Geography, West University of Timișoara, I.H.Pestalozzi 16, 300115 Timisoara, Romania.
| | - Daniel Duda-Seiman
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes, Timişoara, Eftimie Murgu Square 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
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Wang M, Tang Z, Chen XP, Wang X, Zhou WX, Tang Z, Zhang J, Zhao FJ. Water management impacts the soil microbial communities and total arsenic and methylated arsenicals in rice grains. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 247:736-744. [PMID: 30721864 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.01.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The bioavailability of the metalloid arsenic (As) in paddy soil is controlled by microbial cycling of As and other elements such as iron (Fe) and sulfur (S), which are strongly influenced by water management in paddy fields. In this study, we evaluated how water management affects As bioavailability by growing rice plants in a geogenic As-contaminated soil. We determined As speciation in soil porewater and the diversity of the associated microbial community. Continuous flooding enhanced the release of Fe and As and increased arsenite (As(III)) and methylated As species concentrations in the rice grain compared with aerobic treatment. Total inorganic and organic As in the grain was 84% and 81% lower, respectively, in the aerobic treatment compared with the continuous flooding treatment. The amounts of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (FeRB) increased in the flooded rhizosphere soil. The abundance of FeRB in the soil correlated with the dissolution of Fe and As. Among the As-transformation genes quantified, the aioA gene for As(III) oxidation and arsM gene for As(III) methylation were most abundant. The arsM copy number correlated positively with the levels of dsrB (dissimilatory (bi) sulfite reductase β-subunit), suggesting that dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) may play an important role in dimethylarsenate (DMAs(V)) production in soil. Our results show that decreased populations of rhizosphere FeRB and SRB contributed to a lower bioavailability of As, and decreased production of methylated arsenicals under oxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhong Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Xue-Ping Chen
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wu-Xian Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China; Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi, 445000, China
| | - Zhu Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
| | - Fang-Jie Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
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50
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Chen J, Yoshinaga M, Rosen BP. The antibiotic action of methylarsenite is an emergent property of microbial communities. Mol Microbiol 2019; 111:487-494. [PMID: 30520200 PMCID: PMC6370046 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Arsenic is the most ubiquitous environmental toxin. Here, we demonstrate that bacteria have evolved the ability to use arsenic to gain a competitive advantage over other bacteria at least twice. Microbes generate toxic methylarsenite (MAs(III)) by methylation of arsenite (As(III)) or reduction of methylarsenate (MAs(V)). MAs(III) is oxidized aerobically to MAs(V), making methylation a detoxification process. MAs(V) is continually re-reduced to MAs(III) by other community members, giving them a competitive advantage over sensitive bacteria. Because generation of a sustained pool of MAs(III) requires microbial communities, these complex interactions are an emergent property. We show that reduction of MAs(V) by Burkholderia sp. MR1 produces toxic MAs(III) that inhibits growth of Escherichia coli in mixed culture. There are three microbial mechanisms for resistance to MAs(III). ArsH oxidizes MAs(III) to MAs(V). ArsI degrades MAs(III) to As(III). ArsP confers resistance by efflux. Cells of E. coli expressing arsI, arsH or arsP grow in mixed culture with Burkholderia sp. MR1 in the presence of MAs(V). Thus MAs(III) has antibiotic properties: a toxic organic compound produced by one microbe to kill off competitors. Our results demonstrate that life has adapted to use environmental arsenic as a weapon in the continuing battle for dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim
College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199,
United States
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim
College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199,
United States
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim
College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199,
United States
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