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Tang ST, Song XW, Chen J, Shen J, Ma B, Rosen BP, Zhang J, Zhao FJ. Widespread Distribution of the arsO Gene Confers Bacterial Resistance to Environmental Antimony. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14579-14588. [PMID: 37737118 PMCID: PMC10699511 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Microbial oxidation of environmental antimonite (Sb(III)) to antimonate (Sb(V)) is an antimony (Sb) detoxification mechanism. Ensifer adhaerens ST2, a bacterial isolate from a Sb-contaminated paddy soil, oxidizes Sb(III) to Sb(V) under oxic conditions by an unknown mechanism. Genomic analysis of ST2 reveals a gene of unknown function in an arsenic resistance (ars) operon that we term arsO. The transcription level of arsO was significantly upregulated by the addition of Sb(III). ArsO is predicted to be a flavoprotein monooxygenase but shows low sequence similarity to other flavoprotein monooxygenases. Expression of arsO in the arsenic-hypersensitive Escherichia coli strain AW3110Δars conferred increased resistance to Sb(III) but not arsenite (As(III)) or methylarsenite (MAs(III)). Purified ArsO catalyzes Sb(III) oxidation to Sb(V) with NADPH or NADH as the electron donor but does not oxidize As(III) or MAs(III). The purified enzyme contains flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) at a ratio of 0.62 mol of FAD/mol protein, and enzymatic activity was increased by addition of FAD. Bioinformatic analyses show that arsO genes are widely distributed in metagenomes from different environments and are particularly abundant in environments affected by human activities. This study demonstrates that ArsO is an environmental Sb(III) oxidase that plays a significant role in the detoxification of Sb(III).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Tong 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
| | - Xin-Wei Song
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China
- Hangzhou Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311200, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Institute of Environmental Remediation and Human Health, College of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
| | - Jie Shen
- 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
| | - Bin Ma
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China
- Hangzhou Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311200, China
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States
| | - 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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Pis Diez CM, Antelo GT, Dalia TN, Dalia AB, Giedroc DP, Capdevila DA. Increased intracellular persulfide levels attenuate HlyU-mediated hemolysin transcriptional activation in Vibrio cholerae. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105147. [PMID: 37567478 PMCID: PMC10509353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105147] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate host's immune system and resident commensal bacteria deploy a range of highly reactive small molecules that provide a barrier against infections by microbial pathogens. Gut pathogens, such as Vibrio cholerae, sense and respond to these stressors by modulating the expression of exotoxins that are crucial for colonization. Here, we employ mass spectrometry-based profiling, metabolomics, expression assays, and biophysical approaches to show that transcriptional activation of the hemolysin gene hlyA in V. cholerae is regulated by intracellular forms of sulfur with sulfur-sulfur bonds, termed reactive sulfur species (RSS). We first present a comprehensive sequence similarity network analysis of the arsenic repressor superfamily of transcriptional regulators, where RSS and hydrogen peroxide sensors segregate into distinct clusters of sequences. We show that HlyU, transcriptional activator of hlyA in V. cholerae, belongs to the RSS-sensing cluster and readily reacts with organic persulfides, showing no reactivity or DNA dissociation following treatment with glutathione disulfide or hydrogen peroxide. Surprisingly, in V. cholerae cell cultures, both sulfide and peroxide treatment downregulate HlyU-dependent transcriptional activation of hlyA. However, RSS metabolite profiling shows that both sulfide and peroxide treatment raise the endogenous inorganic sulfide and disulfide levels to a similar extent, accounting for this crosstalk, and confirming that V. cholerae attenuates HlyU-mediated activation of hlyA in a specific response to intracellular RSS. These findings provide new evidence that gut pathogens may harness RSS-sensing as an evolutionary adaptation that allows them to overcome the gut inflammatory response by modulating the expression of exotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian M Pis Diez
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires (IIBBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Giuliano T Antelo
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires (IIBBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Triana N Dalia
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Ankur B Dalia
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - David P Giedroc
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
| | - Daiana A Capdevila
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires (IIBBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Dziurzynski M, Gorecki A, Pawlowska J, Istel L, Decewicz P, Golec P, Styczynski M, Poszytek K, Rokowska A, Gorniak D, Dziewit L. Revealing the diversity of bacteria and fungi in the active layer of permafrost at Spitsbergen island (Arctic) - Combining classical microbiology and metabarcoding for ecological and bioprospecting exploration. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159072. [PMID: 36179845 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Arctic soils are constantly subjected to extreme environmental conditions such as low humidity, strong winds, high salinity, freeze-thaw cycles, UV exposition, and low nutrient availability, therefore, they have developed unique microbial ecosystems. These environments provide excellent opportunities to study microbial ecology and evolution within pristine (i.e. with limited anthropogenic influence) regions since the High Arctic is still considered one of the wildest and least explored environments on the planet. This environment is also of interest for the screening and recovery of unique microbial strains suitable for various biotechnological applications. In this study, a combination of culture-depended and culture-independent approaches was used to determine the cultivation bias in studies of the diversity of cold-active microorganisms. Cultivation bias is a reduction in recovered diversity, introduced when applying a classical culturing technique. Six different soil types, collected in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station Hornsund (Spitsbergen, Norway), were tested. It was revealed that the used media allowed recovery of only 6.37 % of bacterial and 20 % of fungal genera when compared with a culture-independent approach. Moreover, it was shown that a combination of R2A and Marine Broth media recovered as much as 93.6 % of all cultivable bacterial genera detected in this study. Based on these results, a novel protocol for genome-guided bioprospecting, combining a culture-dependent approach, metabarcoding, next-generation sequencing, and genomic data reuse was developed. With this methodology, 14 psychrotolerant, multi-metal-resistant strains, including the highly promising Rhodococcus spp., were obtained. These strains, besides increased metal tolerance, have a petroleum hydrocarbon utilization capacity, and thus may be good candidates for future bioremediation technologies, also suited to permanently cold regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikolaj Dziurzynski
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Adrian Gorecki
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Julia Pawlowska
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-89 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lukasz Istel
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-89 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Przemyslaw Decewicz
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Golec
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland; Department of Molecular Virology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michal Styczynski
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Poszytek
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Rokowska
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dorota Gorniak
- Department of Microbiology and Mycology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Lukasz Dziewit
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland.
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Deromachi Y, Uraguchi S, Kiyono M, Kuga K, Nishimura K, Sato MH, Hirano T. Stable expression of bacterial transporter ArsB attached to SNARE molecule enhances arsenic accumulation in Arabidopsis. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2020; 15:1802553. [PMID: 32752971 PMCID: PMC7592148 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2020.1802553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Acute and chronic arsenic (As) toxicity is a global health issue affecting millions of people, which leads to inactivation of over 200 enzymes, particularly those involved in cellular energy pathways and DNA synthesis and repair. The fern Pteris vittata acts as a hyperaccumulator of As and may be useful for phytoremediation to reduce disposal risks by utilizing metal-enriched plant biomass in energy and metal recovery. However, these ferns grow in limited environments and its transplantation and transport can be challenging. Therefore, we generated a transgenic Arabidopsis plant as a seed plant model, capable of accumulating As in their vacuole lumen. This was achieved by transforming the As-resistant bacterial As transporter, ArsB, via fusion with a organelle-targeting signal to the vacuolar membrane, N-ethyl-maleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) protein, VAMP711. In this study, we developed the iVenus assay as a method for detecting whether the N- or C-terminus of a membrane protein is located on the cytoplasmic or exoplasmic side, and from the result of the iVenus assay, we generated the transgenic plant introduced N-terminal end of ArsB with VAMP711, localized to the central vacuolar membrane to accumulate As in the shoot and differentiation zone of root.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Deromachi
- Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, KyotoJapan
| | - Shimpei Uraguchi
- Department of Public Health, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masako Kiyono
- Department of Public Health, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kuga
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane, Japan
| | - Kohji Nishimura
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane, Japan
| | - Masa H. Sato
- Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, KyotoJapan
| | - Tomoko Hirano
- Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, KyotoJapan
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McDermott TR, Stolz JF, Oremland RS. Arsenic and the gastrointestinal tract microbiome. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2020; 12:136-159. [PMID: 31773890 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is a toxin, ranking first on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Environmental Protection Agency Priority List of Hazardous Substances. Chronic exposure increases the risk of a broad range of human illnesses, most notably cancer; however, there is significant variability in arsenic-induced disease among exposed individuals. Human genetics is a known component, but it alone cannot account for the large inter-individual variability in the presentation of arsenicosis symptoms. Each part of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) may be considered as a unique environment with characteristic pH, oxygen concentration, and microbiome. Given the well-established arsenic redox transformation activities of microorganisms, it is reasonable to imagine how the GIT microbiome composition variability among individuals could play a significant role in determining the fate, mobility and toxicity of arsenic, whether inhaled or ingested. This is a relatively new field of research that would benefit from early dialogue aimed at summarizing what is known and identifying reasonable research targets and concepts. Herein, we strive to initiate this dialogue by reviewing known aspects of microbe-arsenic interactions and placing it in the context of potential for influencing host exposure and health risks. We finish by considering future experimental approaches that might be of value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R McDermott
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - John F Stolz
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Research and Education, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Ryan MP, Slattery S, Pembroke JT. A Novel Arsenate-Resistant Determinant Associated with ICEpMERPH, a Member of the SXT/R391 Group of Mobile Genetic Elements. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10121048. [PMID: 31888308 PMCID: PMC6947025 DOI: 10.3390/genes10121048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
ICEpMERPH, the first integrative conjugative element (ICE) of the SXT/R391 family isolated in the United Kingdom and Europe, was analyzed to determine the nature of its adaptive functions, its genetic structure, and its homology to related elements normally found in pathogenic Vibrio or Proteus species. Whole genome sequencing of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolate K802 (which contains the ICEpMERPH) was carried out using Illumina sequencing technology. ICEpMERPH has a size of 110 Kb and 112 putative open reading frames (ORFs). The “hotspot regions” of the element were found to contain putative restriction digestion systems, insertion sequences, and heavy metal resistance genes that encoded resistance to mercury, as previously reported, but also surprisingly to arsenate. A novel arsenate resistance system was identified in hotspot 4 of the element, unrelated to other SXT/R391 elements. This arsenate resistance system was potentially linked to two genes: orf69, encoding an organoarsenical efflux major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporter-like protein related to ArsJ, and orf70, encoding nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Phenotypic analysis using isogenic strains of Escherichia coli strain AB1157 with and without the ICEpMERPH revealed resistance to low levels of arsenate in the range of 1–5 mM. This novel, low-level resistance may have an important adaptive function in polluted environments, which often contain low levels of arsenate contamination. A bioinformatic analysis on the novel determinant and the phylogeny of ICEpMERPH was presented.
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Identification of A Novel Arsenic Resistance Transposon Nested in A Mercury Resistance Transposon of Bacillus sp. MB24. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7110566. [PMID: 31744069 PMCID: PMC6920998 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7110566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel TnMERI1-like transposon designated as TnMARS1 was identified from mercury resistant Bacilli isolated from Minamata Bay sediment. Two adjacent ars operon-like gene clusters, ars1 and ars2, flanked by a pair of 78-bp inverted repeat sequences, which resulted in a 13.8-kbp transposon-like fragment, were found to be sandwiched between two transposable genes of the TnMERI1-like transposon of a mercury resistant bacterium, Bacillus sp. MB24. The presence of a single transcription start site in each cluster determined by 5′-RACE suggested that both are operons. Quantitative real time RT-PCR showed that the transcription of the arsR genes contained in each operon was induced by arsenite, while arsR2 responded to arsenite more sensitively and strikingly than arsR1 did. Further, arsenic resistance complementary experiments showed that the ars2 operon conferred arsenate and arsenite resistance to an arsB-knocked out Bacillus host, while the ars1 operon only raised arsenite resistance slightly. This transposon nested in TnMARS1 was designated as TnARS1. Multi-gene cluster blast against bacteria and Bacilli whole genome sequence databases suggested that TnMARS1 is the first case of a TnMERI1-like transposon combined with an arsenic resistance transposon. The findings of this study suggested that TnMERI1-like transposons could recruit other mobile elements into its genetic structure, and subsequently cause horizontal dissemination of both mercury and arsenic resistances among Bacilli in Minamata Bay.
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Uhrynowski W, Radlinska M, Drewniak L. Genomic Analysis of Shewanella sp. O23S-The Natural Host of the pSheB Plasmid Carrying Genes for Arsenic Resistance and Dissimilatory Reduction. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20051018. [PMID: 30813619 PMCID: PMC6429310 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20051018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Shewanella sp. O23S is a dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacterial strain involved in arsenic transformations within the abandoned gold mine in Zloty Stok (SW Poland). Previous physiological studies revealed that O23S may not only release arsenic from minerals, but also facilitate its immobilization through co-precipitation with reduced sulfur species. Given these uncommon, complementary characteristics and the application potential of the strain in arsenic-removal technologies, its genome (~5.3 Mbp), consisting of a single chromosome, two large plasmids (pSheA and pSheB) and three small plasmid-like phages (pSheC-E) was sequenced and annotated. Genes encoding putative proteins involved in heavy metal transformations, antibiotic resistance and other phenotypic traits were identified. An in-depth comparative analysis of arsenic respiration (arr) and resistance (ars) genes and their genetic context was also performed, revealing that pSheB carries the only copy of the arr genes, and a complete ars operon. The plasmid pSheB is therefore a unique natural vector of these genes, providing the host cells arsenic respiration and resistance abilities. The functionality of the identified genes was determined based on the results of the previous and additional physiological studies, including: the assessment of heavy metal and antibiotic resistance under various conditions, adhesion-biofilm formation assay and BiologTM metabolic preferences test. This combined genetic and physiological approach shed a new light on the capabilities of O23S and their molecular basis, and helped to confirm the biosafety of the strain in relation to its application in bioremediation technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Witold Uhrynowski
- Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Analysis, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Monika Radlinska
- Department of Virology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Lukasz Drewniak
- Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Analysis, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland.
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Heavy Metal Susceptibility of Escherichia coli Isolated from Urine Samples from Sweden, Germany, and Spain. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018. [PMID: 29530862 PMCID: PMC5923176 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00209-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a major health care problem, with the intensive use of heavy metals and biocides recently identified as a potential factor contributing to the aggravation of this situation. The present study investigated heavy metal susceptibility and genetic resistance determinants in Escherichia coli isolated from clinical urine samples from Sweden, Germany, and Spain. A total of 186 isolates were tested for their sodium arsenite, silver nitrate, and copper(II) sulfate MICs. In addition, 88 of these isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing for characterization of their genetic resistance determinants and epidemiology. For sodium arsenite, the isolates could be categorized into a resistant and a nonresistant group based on MIC values. Isolates of the resistant group exhibited the chromosomal ars operon and belonged to non-B2 phylogenetic groups; in contrast, within the B2 phylogroup, no ars operon was found, and the isolates were susceptible to sodium arsenite. Two isolates also harbored the silver/copper resistance determinant pco/sil, and they belonged to sequence types ST10 (phylogroup A) and ST295 (phylogroup C). The ST295 isolate had a silver nitrate MIC of ≥512 mg/liter and additionally produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the distribution of the arsenic resistance ars operon within phylogroups of E. coli strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infections. The arsenic resistance ars operon was present only in all non-B2 clades, which have previously been associated with the environment and commensalism in both humans and animals, while B2 clades lacked the ars operon.
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10
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Saha RP, Samanta S, Patra S, Sarkar D, Saha A, Singh MK. Metal homeostasis in bacteria: the role of ArsR-SmtB family of transcriptional repressors in combating varying metal concentrations in the environment. Biometals 2017; 30:459-503. [PMID: 28512703 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-017-0020-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial infections cause severe medical problems worldwide, resulting in considerable death and loss of capital. With the ever-increasing rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the lack of development of new antibiotics, research on metal-based antimicrobial therapy has now gained pace. Metal ions are essential for survival, but can be highly toxic to organisms if their concentrations are not strictly controlled. Through evolution, bacteria have acquired complex metal-management systems that allow them to acquire metals that they need for survival in different challenging environments while evading metal toxicity. Metalloproteins that controls these elaborate systems in the cell, and linked to key virulence factors, are promising targets for the anti-bacterial drug development. Among several metal-sensory transcriptional regulators, the ArsR-SmtB family displays greatest diversity with several distinct metal-binding and nonmetal-binding motifs that have been characterized. These prokaryotic metolloregulatory transcriptional repressors represses the expression of operons linked to stress-inducing concentrations of metal ions by directly binding to the regulatory regions of DNA, while derepression results from direct binding of metal ions by these homodimeric proteins. Many bacteria, e.g., Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacillus anthracis, etc., have evolved to acquire multiple metal-sensory motifs which clearly demonstrate the importance of regulating concentrations of multiple metal ions. Here, we discussed the mechanisms of how ArsR-SmtB family regulates the intracellular bioavailability of metal ions both inside and outside of the host. Knowledge of the metal-challenges faced by bacterial pathogens and their survival strategies will enable us to develop the next generation drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudra P Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Adamas University, Kolkata, 700126, India.
| | - Saikat Samanta
- Department of Microbiology, School of Science, Adamas University, Kolkata, 700126, India
| | - Surajit Patra
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Adamas University, Kolkata, 700126, India
| | - Diganta Sarkar
- Department of Biotechnology, Techno India University, Kolkata, 700091, India
| | - Abinit Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Adamas University, Kolkata, 700126, India
| | - Manoj Kumar Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Adamas University, Kolkata, 700126, India
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Singh N, Gupta S, Marwa N, Pandey V, Verma PC, Rathaur S, Singh N. Arsenic mediated modifications in Bacillus aryabhattai and their biotechnological applications for arsenic bioremediation. CHEMOSPHERE 2016; 164:524-534. [PMID: 27619063 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.08.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The present study reports the arsenic (As) tolerance mechanism of bacteria Bacillus aryabhattai (NBRI014). The data explores the intracellular accumulation and volatilization of As from the culture medium after 48 h of exposure to 25,000 mg l-1 arsenate As(V). The study also provides the evidence of presence of ars operon in bacteria, which may have played an important role in reducing As toxicity. Additionally, we found 7 differentially expressed proteins to be up-regulated in bacterial cells upon As exposure which may have role in reducing As toxicity inside bacterial cells. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques were useful to describe the structural and compositional alterations in bacterial cells after As treatment. It showed the changes in peak positions of the spectrum pattern when NBRI014 was grown in medium containing As, indicating that these functional groups viz. (amino, alkyl halides and hydroxyl) present on bacterial surface, which may be involved in As binding. The above results signify that biotechnological application of the isolate NBRI014 could be helpful in removal of As from polluted sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namrata Singh
- Eco-auditing Group, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Sunil Gupta
- Plant Ecology and Environmental Science, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Naina Marwa
- Eco-auditing Group, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Vivek Pandey
- Plant Ecology and Environmental Science, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Praveen C Verma
- Plant Molecular Biology & Genetic Engineering Division, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP, India
| | - Sushma Rathaur
- Department of Biochemistry, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Nandita Singh
- Eco-auditing Group, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India
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Yu X, Zheng W, Bhat S, Aquilina JA, Zhang R. Transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of Bacillus sp. CDB3 arsenic-resistance operon ars1. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1230. [PMID: 26355338 PMCID: PMC4562236 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus sp. CDB3 possesses a novel eight-gene ars cluster (ars1, arsRYCDATorf7orf8) with some unusual features in regard to expression regulation. This study demonstrated that the cluster is a single operon but can also produce a short three-gene arsRYC transcript. A hairpin structure formed by internal inverted repeats between arsC and arsD was shown to diminish the expression of the full operon, thereby probably acting as a transcription attenuator. A degradation product of the arsRYC transcript was also identified. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis demonstrated that ArsR interacts with the ars1 promoter forming a protein-DNA complex that could be impaired by arsenite. However, no interaction was detected between ArsD and the ars1 promoter, suggesting that the CDB3 ArsD protein may not play a regulatory role. Compared to other ars gene clusters, regulation of the Bacillus sp. CDB3 ars1 operon is more complex. It represents another example of specific mRNA degradation in the transporter gene region and possibly the first case of attenuator-mediated regulation of ars operons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuefei Yu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, NSW , Australia
| | - Wei Zheng
- Current affiliation: Research Center on Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences, Harbin University of Commerce , Harbin , China
| | - Somanath Bhat
- Current affiliation: National Measurement Institute of Australia , Lindfield, NSW , Australia
| | - J Andrew Aquilina
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, NSW , Australia
| | - Ren Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, NSW , Australia
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13
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Sousa T, Branco R, Piedade AP, Morais PV. Hyper Accumulation of Arsenic in Mutants of Ochrobactrum tritici Silenced for Arsenite Efflux Pumps. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0131317. [PMID: 26132104 PMCID: PMC4489015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ochrobactrum tritici SCII24T is a highly As-resistant bacterium, with two previously described arsenic resistance operons, ars1 and ars2. Among a large number of genes, these operons contain the arsB and Acr3 genes that encode the arsenite efflux pumps responsible for arsenic resistance. Exploring the genome of O. tritici SCII24T, an additional putative operon (ars3) was identified and revealed the presence of the Acr3_2 gene that encodes for an arsenite efflux protein but which came to prove to not be required for full As resistance. The genes encoding for arsenite efflux pumps, identified in this strain, were inactivated to develop microbial accumulators of arsenic as new tools for bioremediation. Six different mutants were produced, studied and three were more useful as biotools. O. tritici wild type and the Acr3-mutants showed the highest resistance to As(III), being able to grow up to 50 mM of arsenite. On the other hand, arsB-mutants were not able to grow at concentrations higher than 1 mM As(III), and were the most As(III) sensitive mutants. In the presence of 1 mM As(III), the strain with arsB and Acr3_1 mutated showed the highest intracellular arsenic concentration (up to 17 ng(As)/mg protein), while in assays with 5 mM As(III), the single arsB-mutant was able to accumulate the highest concentration of arsenic (up to 10 ng(As)/mg protein). Therefore, arsB is the main gene responsible for arsenite resistance in O. tritici. However, both genes arsB and Acr3_1 play a crucial role in the resistance mechanism, depending on the arsenite concentration in the medium. In conclusion, at moderate arsenite concentrations, the double arsB- and Acr3_1-mutant exhibited a great ability to accumulate arsenite and can be seen as a promising bioremediation tool for environmental arsenic detoxification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ana Paula Piedade
- CEMUC-Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030–788 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Paula V. Morais
- IMAR-CMA, Coimbra, Portugal
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- * E-mail:
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14
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Yang Y, Wu S, Lilley RM, Zhang R. The diversity of membrane transporters encoded in bacterial arsenic-resistance operons. PeerJ 2015; 3:e943. [PMID: 26020003 PMCID: PMC4435449 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Transporter-facilitated arsenite extrusion is the major pathway of arsenic resistance within bacteria. So far only two types of membrane-bound transporter proteins, ArsB and ArsY (ACR3), have been well studied, although the arsenic transporters in bacteria display considerable diversity. Utilizing accumulated genome sequence data, we searched arsenic resistance (ars) operons in about 2,500 bacterial strains and located over 700 membrane-bound transporters which are encoded in these operons. Sequence analysis revealed at least five distinct transporter families, with ArsY being the most dominant, followed by ArsB, ArsP (a recently reported permease family), Major Facilitator protein Superfamily (MFS) and Major Intrinsic Protein (MIP). In addition, other types of transporters encoded in the ars operons were found, but in much lower frequencies. The diversity and evolutionary relationships of these transporters with regard to arsenic resistance will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiren Yang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong , NSW , Australia
| | - Shiyang Wu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong , NSW , Australia
| | | | - Ren Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong , NSW , Australia
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15
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Xie Z, Sun X, Wang Y, Luo Y, Xie X, Su C. Response of growth and superoxide dismutase to enhanced arsenic in two Bacillus species. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2014; 23:1922-1929. [PMID: 25142350 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-014-1318-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Species differences in inorganic arsenic tolerance were investigated by comparing the responses of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and Bacillus thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis) to elevated concentrations of As(III) and As(V). The cell densities in treatments were always lower during the experiment compared to controls, with the exception of exposure to 1.0 mg As(V) l(-1) on the first day. It was also found that relative growth rate (RGR) of B. thuringiensis was lower than that of B. subtilis. Furthermore, RGR of each Bacillus species was negative correlation with toxicity of inorganic arsenic. However, total cell number still increased in each treatment according to cell density and RGR assays. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of both Bacillus species was promoted by As(III) and As(V), especially under high arsenic concentration condition. In addition, SOD activity of B. thuringiensis was higher than that of B. subtilis during the same exposure time. In lipid peroxidation assay, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) content of each Bacillus species had a significant increase with increment of arsenic concentration. Moreover, significant difference was observed between the two Bacillus species under high arsenic concentration. TBARS content of B. thuringiensis was higher than that of B. subtilis, indicating that effect of arsenic on cell membranes of B. thuringiensis was much more than that of B. subtilis. These results suggest that the two Bacillus species could adapt and live in high arsenic aquifers, although their growth and cell membranes were affected by As treatment in a way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuoming Xie
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
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16
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Chaturvedi N, Pandey PN. Phylogenetic analysis of gammaproteobacterial arsenate reductase proteins specific to Enterobacteriaceae family, signifying arsenic toxicity. Interdiscip Sci 2014; 6:57-62. [PMID: 24464705 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-014-0186-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Revised: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study focuses on the phylogenetic analysis of all the ArsC protein sequences, obtained from similarity search against Gammaproteobacteria, and also studies the role of Gammaproteobacterial family in arsenic toxicity. The ars gene provides arsenic tolerance for microbial cell system and encodes for an arsenate reductase (ArsC), which is essential for arsenate resistance that converts arsenate into arsenite. Phylogenetic analysis offers an opportunity to understand the evolutionary relationship between organisms of interest. The phylogenetic experiment was set up for all possible ArsC sequences in class Gammaproteobacteria. The results suggested a wide similarity between ArsC sequences in the species of Enterobacteriaceae family rather than other families in Gammaproteobacteria. The three evolutionary clades revealed a role of Enterobacteriaceae species, which has the capability to code ArsC protein. Further phylogenetic analysis of ArsC crystal structure sequences has also shown the separate cluster of Enterobacter species. The overall phylogeny of the ArsC protein sequences suggests the species of Enterobacteriaceae family express more among all family of Gammaproteobacteria. This study could be advantageous to emphasize the importance of Enterobacteriaceae in arsenic toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navaneet Chaturvedi
- Center of Bioinformatics, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, 211002, India,
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17
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Liu W, Lin J, Pang X, Mi S, Cui S, Lin J. Increases of ferrous iron oxidation activity and arsenic stressed cell growth by overexpression of Cyc2 in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC19859. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2013; 60:623-8. [PMID: 23980744 DOI: 10.1002/bab.1110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans plays an important role in bioleaching in reproducing the mineral oxidant of ferric iron (Fe(3+) ) by oxidization of ferrous iron (Fe(2+) ). The high-molecular-weight c-type cytochrome Cyc2 that is located in the external membrane is postulated as the first electron carrier in the Fe(2+) oxidation respiratory pathway of A. ferrooxidans. To increase ferrous iron oxidation activity, a recombinant plasmid pTCYC2 containing cyc2 gene under the control of Ptac promoter was constructed and transferred into A. ferrooxidans ATCC19859. The transcriptional level of cyc2 gene was increased by 2.63-fold and Cyc2 protein expression was observed in the recombinant strain compared with the control. The ferrous iron oxidation activity and the arsenic stressed cell growth of the recombinant strain were also elevated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China; Institute of Agro-Food Science and Technology, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, People's Republic of China
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18
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Merulla D, Hatzimanikatis V, van der Meer JR. Tunable reporter signal production in feedback-uncoupled arsenic bioreporters. Microb Biotechnol 2013; 6:503-14. [PMID: 23316865 PMCID: PMC3918153 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli-based bioreporters for arsenic detection are typically based on the natural feedback loop that controls ars operon transcription. Feedback loops are known to show a wide range linear response to the detriment of the overall amplification of the incoming signal. While being a favourable feature in controlling arsenic detoxification for the cell, a feedback loop is not necessarily the most optimal for obtaining highest sensitivity and response in a designed cellular reporter for arsenic detection. Here we systematically explore the effects of uncoupling the topology of arsenic sensing circuitry on the developed reporter signal as a function of arsenite concentration input. A model was developed to describe relative ArsR and GFP levels in feedback and uncoupled circuitry, which was used to explore new ArsR-based synthetic circuits. The expression of arsR was then placed under the control of a series of constitutive promoters, which differed in promoter strength, and which could be further modulated by TetR repression. Expression of the reporter gene was maintained under the ArsR-controlled Pars promoter. ArsR expression in the systems was measured by using ArsR-mCherry fusion proteins. We find that stronger constitutive ArsR production decreases arsenite-dependent EGFP output from Pars and vice versa. This leads to a tunable series of arsenite-dependent EGFP outputs in a variety of systematically characterized circuitries. The higher expression levels and sensitivities of the response curves in the uncoupled circuits may be useful for improving field-test assays using arsenic bioreporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Merulla
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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19
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Srivastava S, Verma PC, Singh A, Mishra M, Singh N, Sharma N, Singh N. Isolation and characterization of Staphylococcus sp. strain NBRIEAG-8 from arsenic contaminated site of West Bengal. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 95:1275-91. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-012-3976-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Revised: 01/26/2012] [Accepted: 02/15/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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20
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Mascio C, White DJ, Tisa LS. Construction and purification of His-tagged staphylococcal ArsB protein, an integral membrane protein that is involved in arsenical salt resistance. Indian J Microbiol 2009; 49:212-8. [PMID: 23100771 DOI: 10.1007/s12088-009-0047-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2007] [Accepted: 04/07/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial resistance to arsenical salts encoded on plasmid pI258 occurs by active extrusion of toxic oxyanions from cells of Staphylococcus aureus. The operon encodes for three gene products: ArsR, ArsB and ArsC. The gene product of arsB is an integral membrane protein and it is sufficient to provide resistance to arsenite and antimonite. A poly His-ArsB fusion protein was generated to purify the staphylococcal ArsB protein. Cells containing the His-tagged arsB gene were resistant to arsenite and antimonite. The levels of resistance to these toxic oxyanions by the His-tagged construct were greater than the levels obtained with the wild type gene. These data would indicate that the His-tagged protein is functionally active. A new 36 kDa protein band was visualized on 10% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), which was confirmed as the His-ArsB protein by immunodetection with polyclonal Hisantibodies. The His-ArsB fusion protein was purified by the use of metal-chelate affinity chromatography with a Ni(+2)-nitrilotriacetic acid column and size-exclusion chromatography suggests that the protein was a homodimer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmela Mascio
- Department of Microbiology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824-2617 USA
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21
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Chang JS, Kim YH, Kim KW. The ars genotype characterization of arsenic-resistant bacteria from arsenic-contaminated gold–silver mines in the Republic of Korea. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2008; 80:155-65. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-008-1524-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2007] [Revised: 04/27/2008] [Accepted: 04/28/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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22
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Branco R, Chung AP, Morais PV. Sequencing and expression of two arsenic resistance operons with different functions in the highly arsenic-resistant strain Ochrobactrum tritici SCII24T. BMC Microbiol 2008; 8:95. [PMID: 18554386 PMCID: PMC2440759 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-8-95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2008] [Accepted: 06/13/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Arsenic (As) is a natural metalloid, widely used in anthropogenic activities, that can exist in different oxidation states. Throughout the world, there are several environments contaminated with high amounts of arsenic where many organisms can survive. The most stable arsenical species are arsenate and arsenite that can be subject to chemically and microbiologically oxidation, reduction and methylation reactions. Organisms surviving in arsenic contaminated environments can have a diversity of mechanisms to resist to the harmful effects of arsenical compounds. Results The highly metal resistant Ochrobactrum tritici SCII24 was able to grow in media with arsenite (50 mM), arsenate (up to 200 mM) and antimonite (10 mM). This strain contains two arsenic and antimony resistance operons (ars1 and ars2), which were cloned and sequenced. Sequence analysis indicated that ars1 operon contains five genes encoding the following proteins: ArsR, ArsD, ArsA, CBS-domain-containing protein and ArsB. The ars2 operon is composed of six genes that encode two other ArsR, two ArsC (belonging to different families of arsenate reductases), one ACR3 and one ArsH-like protein. The involvement of ars operons in arsenic resistance was confirmed by cloning both of them in an Escherichia coli ars-mutant. The ars1 operon conferred resistance to arsenite and antimonite on E. coli cells, whereas the ars2 operon was also responsible for resistance to arsenite and arsenate. Although arsH was not required for arsenate resistance, this gene seems to be important to confer high levels of arsenite resistance. None of ars1 genes were detected in the other type strains of genus Ochrobactrum, but sequences homologous with ars2 operon were identified in some strains. Conclusion A new strategy for bacterial arsenic resistance is described in this work. Two operons involved in arsenic resistance, one giving resistance to arsenite and antimonite and the other giving resistance to arsenate were found in the same bacterial strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Branco
- IMAR-Laboratory of Microbiology 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal.
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23
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Zhang Y, Ma YF, Qi SW, Meng B, Chaudhry MT, Liu SQ, Liu SJ. Responses to arsenate stress by Comamonas sp. strain CNB-1 at genetic and proteomic levels. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2008; 153:3713-3721. [PMID: 17975079 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.2007/011403-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Comamonas sp. strain CNB-1, a chloronitrobenzene-degrading bacterium, was demonstrated to possess higher arsenate tolerance as compared with the mutant strain CNB-2. pCNB1, a plasmid harboured by CNB-1 but not CNB-2, contained the genetic cluster ars(RPBC)Com, which putatively encodes arsenate-resistance regulator, family II arsenate reductase, arsenite efflux pump and family I arsenate reductase, respectively, in Comamonas strain CNB-1. The arsC-negative Escherichia coli could gain arsenate resistance by transformation with arsPCom or arsCCom, indicating that these two genes might express functional forms of arsenate reductases. Intriguingly, when CNB-1 cells were exposed to arsenate, the transcription of arsPCom and arsCCom was measurable by RT-PCR, but only ArsPCom was detectable at protein level. To explore the proteins responding to arsenate stress, CNB-1 cells were cultured with and without arsenate and differential proteomics was carried out by two-dimensional PAGE (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 31 differential 2-DE spots were defined upon image analysis and 23 proteins were identified to be responsive specifically to arsenate. Of these spots, 18 were unique proteins. These proteins were identified to be phosphate transporters, heat-shock proteins involved in protein refolding, and enzymes participating in carbon and energy metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resource, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ying-Fei Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resource, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Su-Wei Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resource, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Bo Meng
- Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101300, China
| | - Muhammad Tausif Chaudhry
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resource, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Si-Qi Liu
- Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101300, China
| | - Shuang-Jiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resource, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Ordóñez E, Letek M, Valbuena N, Gil JA, Mateos LM. Analysis of genes involved in arsenic resistance in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032. Appl Environ Microbiol 2005; 71:6206-15. [PMID: 16204540 PMCID: PMC1266000 DOI: 10.1128/aem.71.10.6206-6215.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium glutamicum is able to grow in media containing up to 12 mM arsenite and 500 mM arsenate and is one of the most arsenic-resistant microorganisms described to date. Two operons (ars1 and ars2) involved in arsenate and arsenite resistance have been identified in the complete genome sequence of Corynebacterium glutamicum. The operons ars1 and ars2 are located some distance from each other in the bacterial chromosome, but they are both composed of genes encoding a regulatory protein (arsR), an arsenite permease (arsB), and an arsenate reductase (arsC); operon ars1 contains an additional arsenate reductase gene (arsC1') located immediately downstream from arsC1. Additional arsenite permease and arsenate reductase genes (arsB3 and arsC4) scattered on the chromosome were also identified. The involvement of ars operons in arsenic resistance in C. glutamicum was confirmed by gene disruption experiments of the three arsenite permease genes present in its genome. Wild-type and arsB3 insertional mutant C. glutamicum strains were able to grow with up to 12 mM arsenite, whereas arsB1 and arsB2 C. glutamicum insertional mutants were resistant to 4 mM and 9 mM arsenite, respectively. The double arsB1-arsB2 insertional mutant was resistant to only 0.4 mM arsenite and 10 mM arsenate. Gene amplification assays of operons ars1 and ars2 in C. glutamicum revealed that the recombinant strains containing the ars1 operon were resistant to up to 60 mM arsenite, this being one of the highest levels of bacterial resistance to arsenite so far described, whereas recombinant strains containing operon ars2 were resistant to only 20 mM arsenite. Northern blot and reverse transcription-PCR analysis confirmed the presence of transcripts for all the ars genes, the expression of arsB3 and arsC4 being constitutive, and the expression of arsR1, arsB1, arsC1, arsC1', arsR2, arsB2, and arsC2 being inducible by arsenite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efrén Ordóñez
- Area de Microbiología, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
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25
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Li R, Haile JD, Kennelly PJ. An arsenate reductase from Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 exhibits a novel combination of catalytic characteristics. J Bacteriol 2004; 185:6780-9. [PMID: 14617642 PMCID: PMC262706 DOI: 10.1128/jb.185.23.6780-6789.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The deduced protein product of open reading frame slr0946 from Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, SynArsC, contains the conserved sequence features of the enzyme superfamily that includes the low-molecular-weight protein-tyrosine phosphatases and the Staphylococcus aureus pI258 ArsC arsenate reductase. The recombinant protein product of slr0946, rSynArsC, exhibited vigorous arsenate reductase activity (V(max) = 3.1 micro mol/min. mg), as well as weak phosphatase activity toward p-nitrophenyl phosphate (V(max) = 0.08 micro mol/min. mg) indicative of its phosphohydrolytic ancestry. pI258 ArsC from S. aureus is the prototype of one of three distinct families of detoxifying arsenate reductases. The prototypes of the others are Acr2p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and R773 ArsC from Escherichia coli. All three have converged upon catalytic mechanisms involving an arsenocysteine intermediate. While SynArsC is homologous to pI258 ArsC, its catalytic mechanism exhibited a unique combination of features. rSynArsC employed glutathione and glutaredoxin as the source of reducing equivalents, like Acr2p and R773 ArsC, rather than thioredoxin, as does the S. aureus enzyme. As postulated for Acr2p and R773 ArsC, rSynArsC formed a covalent complex with glutathione in an arsenate-dependent manner. rSynArsC contains three essential cysteine residues like pI258 ArsC, whereas the yeast and E. coli enzymes require only one cysteine for catalysis. As in the S. aureus enzyme, these "extra" cysteines apparently shuttle a disulfide bond to the enzyme's surface to render it accessible for reduction. SynArsC and pI258 ArsC thus appear to represent alternative branches in the evolution of their shared phosphohydrolytic ancestor into an agent of arsenic detoxification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renhui Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
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26
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Cai J, Salmon K, DuBow MS. A chromosomal ars operon homologue of Pseudomonas aeruginosa confers increased resistance to arsenic and antimony in Escherichia coli. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 1998; 144 ( Pt 10):2705-2729. [PMID: 9802012 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-144-10-2705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Operons encoding homologous arsenic-resistance determinants (ars) have been discovered in bacterial plasmids from Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms, as well as in the Escherichia coli chromosome. However, evidence for this arsenic-resistance determinant in the medically and environmentally important bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa is conflicting. Here the identification of a P. aeruginosa chromosomal ars operon homologue via cloning and complementation of an E. coli ars mutant is reported. The P. aeruginosa chromosomal ars operon contains three potential ORFs encoding proteins with significant sequence similarity to those encoded by the arsR, arsB and arsC genes of the plasmid-based and E. coli chromosomal ars operons. The cloned P. aeruginosa chromosomal ars operon confers augmented resistance to arsenic and antimony oxyanions in an E. coli arsB mutant and in wild-type P. aeruginosa. Expression of the operon was induced by arsenite at the mRNA level. DNA sequences homologous with this operon were detected in some, but not all, species of the genus Pseudomonas, suggesting that its conservation follows their taxonomic-based evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kuroda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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28
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Rastorguev SM, Zavilgelsky GB, Tchurikov NA. IncI1 plasmid R64 encodes the ArsR protein that alleviates type I restriction. FEBS Lett 1998; 426:21-3. [PMID: 9598970 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(98)00285-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The host-controlled EcoK restriction of unmodified phage lambda was five-fold alleviated in the wild-type Escherichia coli strain K12 carrying the R64 plasmid of the incompatibility group I1. The relevant gene was mapped between the origin of vegetative replication (rep, oriV) and the tet(r) gene about 60 kbp downstream from the origin of transfer, oriT. We cloned this gene inside the 613 bp long EcoRI-PstI fragment and sequenced it. Only one 351 bp long open reading frame (ORF) starting at 124 bp from the beginning of the insert was found in the sequence. Computer search in the current databases revealed that the putative protein is identical to the ArsR protein specified by the IncFI plasmid R773. ArsR is a repressor of the arsenical resistance (ars) operon, arsRDABC. There are no arsABC genes in the R64 plasmid since plasmid R64- (or pSR8)-mediated resistance of E. coli K12 cells to the arsenicals arsenate and arsenite was not detected. The gene arsR and the antirestriction genes ard (ardA and ardB) are non-homologous. However, comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of ArsR with the ArdA and ArdB sequences revealed only one small region of similarity, a 9 amino acid motif found in different antirestriction proteins that is hypothesized to be an interaction site for antirestriction proteins with restriction endonucleases.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Rastorguev
- State Scientific Centre of Russian Federation GNIIGENETIKA, Moscow
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Sato T, Kobayashi Y. The ars operon in the skin element of Bacillus subtilis confers resistance to arsenate and arsenite. J Bacteriol 1998; 180:1655-61. [PMID: 9537360 PMCID: PMC107075 DOI: 10.1128/jb.180.7.1655-1661.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Bacillus subtilis skin element confers resistance to arsenate and arsenite. The ars operon in the skin element contains four genes in the order arsR, ORF2, arsB, and arsC. Three of these genes are homologous to the arsR, arsB, and arsC genes from the staphylococcal plasmid pI258, while no homologs of ORF2 have been found. Inactivation of arsR, arsB, or arsC results in either constitutive expression of ars, an arsenite- and arsenate-sensitive phenotype, or an arsenate-sensitive phenotype, respectively. These results suggest that ArsR, ArsB, and ArsC function as a negative regulator, a membrane-associated protein need for extrusion of arsenite, and arsenate reductase, respectively. Expression of the ars operon was induced by arsenate, arsenite, and antimonite. Northern hybridization and primer extension analysis showed that synthesis of a full-length ars transcript of about 2.4 kb was induced by arsenate and that the ars promoter contains sequences that resemble the -10 and -35 regions of promoters that are recognized by E sigmaA.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Sato
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan.
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Li J, Rosen BP. Steric limitations in the interaction of the ATP binding domains of the ArsA ATPase. J Biol Chem 1998; 273:6796-800. [PMID: 9506981 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.273.12.6796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
ArsA, the catalytic subunit of an anion-translocating ATPase, has two consensus nucleotide binding sites, one N-terminal and one C-terminal. A mutation producing a G15C substitution in the N-terminal domain resulted in substantial reductions in arsenite resistance, transport, and ATPase activity. A second site revertant (A344V) adjacent to the C-terminal nucleotide binding site was previously shown to restore arsenite resistance, suggesting the interaction of the nucleotide binding sites in ArsA (Li, J., Liu, S., and Rosen, B. P. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 25247-25252). In this study, it is shown that alteration of Ala-344 to bulkier residues, including Cys, Thr, Pro, Asp, Leu, Phe, Tyr, or Arg, also suppressed the G15C substitution. However, A344G or A344S substitutions only marginally suppressed the primary mutation. Alteration of Gly-15 to Ala, Cys, Asp, Tyr, or Arg each resulted in decreased arsenite resistance. The larger the residue volume of the substitution, the lower the resistance, with a G15R substitution producing the least resistance. Resistance in a strain expressing an arsA gene encoding the G15R substitution could be rescued by A344S, A344T, A344D, A344R, or A344V second site suppressors. The larger the residue is then the greater the suppression is. The in vitro ArsA ATPase activities from purified wild type, G15A, G15C, and G15R exhibits an inverse relationship between activity and residue volume. Purified G15A and G15C exhibited both an increase in the Km for ATP and a decrease in Vmax. The results are consistent with a physical interaction of the two nucleotide binding domains and indicate that the geometry at the interface between the N- and C-terminal nucleotide binding sites places spatial constraints on allowable residues in that interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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Suzuki K, Wakao N, Kimura T, Sakka K, Ohmiya K. Expression and regulation of the arsenic resistance operon of Acidiphilium multivorum AIU 301 plasmid pKW301 in Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 1998; 64:411-8. [PMID: 9464374 PMCID: PMC106059 DOI: 10.1128/aem.64.2.411-418.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The arsenic resistance (ars) operon from plasmid pKW301 of Acidiphilium multivorum AIU 301 was cloned and sequenced. This DNA sequence contains five genes in the following order: arsR, arsD, arsA, arsB, arsC. The predicted amino acid sequences of all of the gene products are homologous to the amino acid sequences of the ars gene products of Escherichia coli plasmid R773 and IncN plasmid R46. The ars operon cloned from A. multivorum conferred resistance to arsenate and arsenite on E. coli. Expression of the ars genes with the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase-promoter system allowed E. coli to overexpress ArsD, ArsA, and ArsC but not ArsR or ArsB. The apparent molecular weights of ArsD, ArsA, and ArsC were 13,000, 64,000, and 16,000, respectively. A primer extension analysis showed that the ars mRNA started at a position 19 nucleotides upstream from the arsR ATG in E. coli. Although the arsR gene of A. multivorum AIU 301 encodes a polypeptide of 84 amino acids that is smaller and less homologous than any of the other ArsR proteins, inactivation of the arsR gene resulted in constitutive expression of the ars genes, suggesting that ArsR of pKW301 controls the expression of this operon.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Suzuki
- Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, School of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu, Japan
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Abstract
The plasmid-encoded arsenical resistance (ars) operon of plasmid R773 produces resistance to trivalent and pentavalent salts of the metalloids arsenic and antimony in cells of Escherichia coli. The first two genes in the operon, arsR and arsD, were previously shown to encode trans-acting repressor proteins. ArsR controls the basal level of expression of the operon, while ArsD controls maximal expression. Thus, action of the two repressors form a homeostatic regulatory circuit that maintains the level of ars expression within a narrow range. In this study, we demonstrate that ArsD binds to the same site on the ars promoter element as ArsR but with 2 orders of magnitude lower affinity. The results of gel shift assays demonstrate that ArsD is released from the ars DNA promoter by phenylarsine oxide, sodium arsenite, and potassium antimonyl tartrate (in order of effectiveness), the same inducers to which ArsR responds. Using the quenching of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence to measure the affinity of the repressor for inducers, apparent Kd values for Sb(III) and As(III) of 2 and 60 microM, respectively, were obtained. These results demonstrate that the arsR-arsD pair provide a sensitive mechanism for sensing a wide range of environmental heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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Abstract
The genus Yersinia contains three pathogenic species: Yersinia pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, and Y. enterocolitica. Only a few biotypes and serotypes of Y. enterocolitica are pathogenic, and these form two distinct groups: some are of low virulence, and they are encountered worldwide; others, mainly encountered in North America, are markedly more virulent. All pathogenic yersiniae possess a 70-kb virulence plasmid called pYV which encodes secreted antihost proteins called Yops as well as a type III secretion machinery that is required for Yop secretion. Genes encoding Yop synthesis and secretion are tightly clustered in three quadrants of the pYV plasmid. We show here that in the low-virulence strains of Y. enterocolitica, the fourth quadrant of the plasmid contains a new class II transposon, Tn2502. This transposon encodes a defective transposase, but transposition can be complemented in trans by Tn2501, another class II transposon. Tn2502 was not detected in the pYV plasmids of the more virulent American strains of Y. enterocolitica, of Y. pseudotuberculosis, and of Y. pestis. Tn2502 confers arsenite and arsenate resistance. This resistance involves four genes; three are homologous to the arsRBC genes present on the Escherichia coli chromosome, but no homolog of the fourth one, arsH, has been found. The systematic presence of such a resistance operon on a virulence plasmid is unusual and could be related to the recent spread of low-virulence Y. enterocolitica strains. The presence of this ars operon also constitutes the first significant difference between the pYV plasmids from different Yersinia species.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Neyt
- Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, International Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, and Faculté de Médecine, Université Catholique deLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
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Kuroda M, Dey S, Sanders OI, Rosen BP. Alternate energy coupling of ArsB, the membrane subunit of the Ars anion-translocating ATPase. J Biol Chem 1997; 272:326-31. [PMID: 8995265 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.272.1.326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The arsenical resistance (ars) operon of the conjugative R-factor R773 confers resistance to arsenical and antimonial compounds in Escherichia coli, where resistance results from active extrusion of arsenite catalyzed by the products of the arsA and arsB genes. Previous in vivo studies on the energetics of arsenite extrusion showed that expression of both genes produced an ATP-coupled arsenite extrusion system that was independent of the electrochemical proton gradient. In contrast, in cells expressing only the arsB gene, arsenite extrusion was coupled to electrochemical energy and independent of ATP, suggesting that the Ars transport system exhibits a dual mode of energy coupling depending on the subunit composition. In vitro the ArsA-ArsB complex has been shown to catalyze ATP-coupled uptake of 73AsO2(-1) in everted membrane vesicles. However, transport catalyzed by ArsB alone has not previously been observed in vitro. In this study we demonstrate everted membrane vesicles prepared from cells expressing only arsB exhibit uptake of 73AsO2(-1) coupled to electrochemical energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kuroda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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