# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 178 | 0 | 0.9922 | Molecular basis of bacterial resistance to organomercurial and inorganic mercuric salts. Bacteria mediate resistance to organomercurial and inorganic mercuric salts by metabolic conversion to nontoxic elemental mercury, Hg(0). The genes responsible for mercury resistance are organized in the mer operon, and such operons are often found in plasmids that also bear drug resistance determinants. We have subcloned three of these mer genes, merR, merB, and merA, and have studied their protein products via protein overproduction and purification, and structural and functional characterization. MeR is a metalloregulatory DNA-binding protein that acts as a repressor of both its own and structural gene transcription in the absence of Hg(II); in addition it acts as a positive effector of structural gene transcription when Hg(II) is present. MerB, organomercury lyase, catalyzes the protonolytic fragmentation of organomercurials to the parent hydrocarbon and Hg(II) by an apparent SE2 mechanism. MerA, mercuric ion reductase, is an FAD-containing and redox-active disulfide-containing enzyme with homology to glutathione reductase. It has evolved the unique catalytic capacity to reduce Hg(II) to Hg(0) and thereby complete the detoxification scheme. | 1988 | 3277886 |
| 130 | 1 | 0.9921 | Genetics of metal resistance in acidophilic prokaryotes of acidic mine environments. Acidophilic bacteria inhabiting acidic mine regions cause natural leaching of sulphidic ores. They are now exploited in industrial operations for leaching of metals and beneficiation of low-grade and recalcitrant ores. Recent trends emphasize application of thermoacidophiles and genetic engineering of ore-leaching bacteria for greater success in this area. This requires an in-depth understanding on the molecular genetics of these bacteria and construction of cloning vectors for them. Metal resistance is considered as the most suitable phenotypic trait for cloning vectors of bio-mining chemolithoautotrophic (viz. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans) and heterotrophic (Acidiphilium and Acidocella species) bacteria of mine environments. These bacteria take part in ore-leaching either directly or indirectly, exhibit low to high level of resistance/tolerance to various metals under different conditions. Majority of these bacteria contain one or more plasmids--the genetic elements that usually carry metal resistant genes. But none of the At. ferrooxidans plasmids has been definitely proved to harbour metal-resistant genes which have mostly been found in the chromosome of this bacterium. Plasmids of acidophilic heterotrophs of the genera Acidiphilium and Acidocella, on the other hand, carry metal resistant genes. While genes bestowing arsenic resistance in Acidiphilium multivorum are similar to those analyzed from other sources, the metal (Cd and Zn)-resistance conferring cloned plasmid DNA fragments from Acidiphilium symbioticum KM2 and Acidocella GS19h strains were found to have no sequence similarity with the reported Cd- and Zn-resistant genes. Such observations indicate some novel aspects of metal resistance in acidophilic bacteria. | 2004 | 15274476 |
| 8640 | 2 | 0.9920 | Comparative genomics reveals the acquisition of mobile genetic elements by the plant growth-promoting Pantoea eucrina OB49 in polluted environments. Heavy metal-tolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have gained popularity in bioremediation in recent years. A genome-assisted study of a heavy metal-tolerant PGPB Pantoea eucrina OB49 isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat grown on a heavy metal-contaminated site is presented. Comparative pan-genome analysis indicated that OB49 acquired heavy metal resistance genes through horizontal gene transfer. On contigs S10 and S12, OB49 has two arsRBCH operons that give arsenic resistance. On the S12 contig, an arsRBCH operon was discovered in conjunction with the merRTPCADE operon, which provides mercury resistance. P. eucrina OB49 may be involved in an ecological alternative for heavy metal remediation and growth promotion of wheat grown in metal-polluted soils. Our results suggested the detection of mobile genetic elements that harbour the ars operon and the fluoride resistance genes adjacent to the mer operon. | 2023 | 36792019 |
| 124 | 3 | 0.9920 | A bacterial view of the periodic table: genes and proteins for toxic inorganic ions. Essentially all bacteria have genes for toxic metal ion resistances and these include those for Ag+, AsO2-, AsO4(3-), Cd2+ Co2+, CrO4(2-), Cu2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, TeO3(2-), Tl+ and Zn2+. The largest group of resistance systems functions by energy-dependent efflux of toxic ions. Fewer involve enzymatic transformations (oxidation, reduction, methylation, and demethylation) or metal-binding proteins (for example, metallothionein SmtA, chaperone CopZ and periplasmic silver binding protein SilE). Some of the efflux resistance systems are ATPases and others are chemiosmotic ion/proton exchangers. For example, Cd2+-efflux pumps of bacteria are either inner membrane P-type ATPases or three polypeptide RND chemiosmotic complexes consisting of an inner membrane pump, a periplasmic-bridging protein and an outer membrane channel. In addition to the best studied three-polypeptide chemiosmotic system, Czc (Cd2+, Zn2+, and Co2), others are known that efflux Ag+, Cu+, Ni2+, and Zn2+. Resistance to inorganic mercury, Hg2+ (and to organomercurials, such as CH3Hg+ and phenylmercury) involve a series of metal-binding and membrane transport proteins as well as the enzymes mercuric reductase and organomercurial lyase, which overall convert more toxic to less toxic forms. Arsenic resistance and metabolizing systems occur in three patterns, the widely-found ars operon that is present in most bacterial genomes and many plasmids, the more recently recognized arr genes for the periplasmic arsenate reductase that functions in anaerobic respiration as a terminal electron acceptor, and the aso genes for the periplasmic arsenite oxidase that functions as an initial electron donor in aerobic resistance to arsenite. | 2005 | 16133099 |
| 6089 | 4 | 0.9919 | Genomic analyses of metal resistance genes in three plant growth promoting bacteria of legume plants in Northwest mine tailings, China. To better understand the diversity of metal resistance genetic determinant from microbes that survived at metal tailings in northwest of China, a highly elevated level of heavy metal containing region, genomic analyses was conducted using genome sequence of three native metal-resistant plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). It shows that: Mesorhizobium amorphae CCNWGS0123 contains metal transporters from P-type ATPase, CDF (Cation Diffusion Facilitator), HupE/UreJ and CHR (chromate ion transporter) family involved in copper, zinc, nickel as well as chromate resistance and homeostasis. Meanwhile, the putative CopA/CueO system is expected to mediate copper resistance in Sinorhizobium meliloti CCNWSX0020 while ZntA transporter, assisted with putative CzcD, determines zinc tolerance in Agrobacterium tumefaciens CCNWGS0286. The greenhouse experiment provides the consistent evidence of the plant growth promoting effects of these microbes on their hosts by nitrogen fixation and/or indoleacetic acid (IAA) secretion, indicating a potential in-site phytoremediation usage in the mining tailing regions of China. | 2015 | 25597676 |
| 123 | 5 | 0.9919 | Genes for all metals--a bacterial view of the periodic table. The 1996 Thom Award Lecture. Bacterial chromosomes have genes for transport proteins for inorganic nutrient cations and oxyanions, such as NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Co2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and other trace cations, and PO4(3-), SO4(2-) and less abundant oxyanions. Together these account for perhaps a few hundred genes in many bacteria. Bacterial plasmids encode resistance systems for toxic metal and metalloid ions including Ag+, AsO2-, AsO4(3-), Cd2+, Co2+, CrO4(2-), Cu2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, TeO3(2-), Tl+ and Zn2+. Most resistance systems function by energy-dependent efflux of toxic ions. A few involve enzymatic (mostly redox) transformations. Some of the efflux resistance systems are ATPases and others are chemiosmotic ion/proton exchangers. The Cd(2+)-resistance cation pump of Gram-positive bacteria is membrane P-type ATPase, which has been labeled with 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP and drives ATP-dependent Cd2+ (and Zn2+) transport by membrane vesicles. The genes defective in the human hereditary diseases of copper metabolism, Menkes syndrome and Wilson's disease, encode P-type ATPases that are similar to bacterial cadmium ATPases. The arsenic resistance system transports arsenite [As(III)], alternatively with the ArsB polypeptide functioning as a chemiosmotic efflux transporter or with two polypeptides, ArsB and ArsA, functioning as an ATPase. The third protein of the arsenic resistance system is an enzyme that reduces intracellular arsenate [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)], the substrate of the efflux system. In Gram-negative cells, a three polypeptide complex functions as a chemiosmotic cation/protein exchanger to efflux Cd2+, Zn2+ and Co2+. This pump consists of an inner membrane (CzcA), an outer membrane (CzcC) and a membrane-spanning (CzcB) protein that function together. | 1998 | 9523453 |
| 131 | 6 | 0.9918 | Characterization of Two Highly Arsenic-Resistant Caulobacteraceae Strains of Brevundimonas nasdae: Discovery of a New Arsenic Resistance Determinant. Arsenic (As), distributed widely in the natural environment, is a toxic substance which can severely impair the normal functions in living cells. Research on the genetic determinants conferring functions in arsenic resistance and metabolism is of great importance for remediating arsenic-contaminated environments. Many organisms, including bacteria, have developed various strategies to tolerate arsenic, by either detoxifying this harmful element or utilizing it for energy generation. More and more new arsenic resistance (ars) determinants have been identified to be conferring resistance to diverse arsenic compounds and encoded in ars operons. There is a hazard in mobilizing arsenic during gold-mining activities due to gold- and arsenic-bearing minerals coexisting. In this study, we isolated 8 gold enrichment strains from the Zijin gold and copper mine (Longyan, Fujian Province, China) wastewater treatment site soil, at an altitude of 192 m. We identified two Brevundimonas nasdae strains, Au-Bre29 and Au-Bre30, among these eight strains, having a high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for As(III). These two strains contained the same ars operons but displayed differences regarding secretion of extra-polymeric substances (EPS) upon arsenite (As(III)) stress. B. nasdae Au-Bre29 contained one extra plasmid but without harboring any additional ars genes compared to B. nasdae Au-Bre30. We optimized the growth conditions for strains Au-Bre29 and Au-Bre30. Au-Bre30 was able to tolerate both a lower pH and slightly higher concentrations of NaCl. We also identified folE, a folate synthesis gene, in the ars operon of these two strains. In most organisms, folate synthesis begins with a FolE (GTP-Cyclohydrolase I)-type enzyme, and the corresponding gene is typically designated folE (in bacteria) or gch1 (in mammals). Heterologous expression of folE, cloned from B. nasdae Au-Bre30, in the arsenic-hypersensitive strain Escherichia coli AW3110, conferred resistance to As(III), arsenate (As(V)), trivalent roxarsone (Rox(III)), pentavalent roxarsone (Rox(V)), trivalent antimonite (Sb(III)), and pentavalent antimonate (Sb(V)), indicating that folate biosynthesis is a target of arsenite toxicity and increased production of folate confers increased resistance to oxyanions. Genes encoding Acr3 and ArsH were shown to confer resistance to As(III), Rox(III), Sb(III), and Sb(V), and ArsH also conferred resistance to As(V). Acr3 did not confer resistance to As(V) and Rox(V), while ArsH did not confer resistance to Rox(V). | 2022 | 35628430 |
| 177 | 7 | 0.9918 | Bacterial mercury resistance from atoms to ecosystems. Bacterial resistance to inorganic and organic mercury compounds (HgR) is one of the most widely observed phenotypes in eubacteria. Loci conferring HgR in Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria typically have at minimum a mercuric reductase enzyme (MerA) that reduces reactive ionic Hg(II) to volatile, relatively inert, monoatomic Hg(0) vapor and a membrane-bound protein (MerT) for uptake of Hg(II) arranged in an operon under control of MerR, a novel metal-responsive regulator. Many HgR loci encode an additional enzyme, MerB, that degrades organomercurials by protonolysis, and one or more additional proteins apparently involved in transport. Genes conferring HgR occur on chromosomes, plasmids, and transposons and their operon arrangements can be quite diverse, frequently involving duplications of the above noted structural genes, several of which are modular themselves. How this very mobile and plastic suite of proteins protects host cells from this pervasive toxic metal, what roles it has in the biogeochemical cycling of Hg, and how it has been employed in ameliorating environmental contamination are the subjects of this review. | 2003 | 12829275 |
| 8690 | 8 | 0.9918 | Cellular and genetic mechanism of bacterial mercury resistance and their role in biogeochemistry and bioremediation. Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic element that occurs at low concentrations in nature. However, various anthropogenic and natural sources contribute around 5000 to 8000 metric tons of Hg per year, rapidly deteriorating the environmental conditions. Mercury-resistant bacteria that possess the mer operon system have the potential for Hg bioremediation through volatilization from the contaminated milieus. Thus, bacterial mer operon plays a crucial role in Hg biogeochemistry and bioremediation by converting both reactive inorganic and organic forms of Hg to relatively inert, volatile, and monoatomic forms. Both the broad-spectrum and narrow-spectrum bacteria harbor many genes of mer operon with their unique definitive functions. The presence of mer genes or proteins can regulate the fate of Hg in the biogeochemical cycle in the environment. The efficiency of Hg transformation depends upon the nature and diversity of mer genes present in mercury-resistant bacteria. Additionally, the bacterial cellular mechanism of Hg resistance involves reduced Hg uptake, extracellular sequestration, and bioaccumulation. The presence of unique physiological properties in a specific group of mercury-resistant bacteria enhances their bioremediation capabilities. Many advanced biotechnological tools also can improve the bioremediation efficiency of mercury-resistant bacteria to achieve Hg bioremediation. | 2022 | 34464861 |
| 164 | 9 | 0.9917 | Plasmids for heavy metal resistance in Alcaligenes eutrophus CH34: mechanisms and applications. Alcaligenes eutrophus CH34 is the main representative of a group of strongly related strains (mostly facultative chemolithotrophs) that are well adapted to environments containing high levels of heavy metals. It harbors the megaplasmids pMOL28 and pMOL30 which carry resistance determinants to Co2+, Ni2+, CrO(4)2-, Hg2+, Tl+, Cd2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+. Among the best characterized determinants are the cnr operon (resistance to Co, Ni) on pMOL28 and the czc operon on pMOL30 (resistance to Co, Cd and Zn). Although the two systems reveal a significant degree of amino acid similarity in the structural genes, the regulation of the operons is different. The resistance mechanism in both cases is based on efflux. The efflux mechanism leads to a pH increase outside of the cytoplasmic membrane. Metals are sequestered from the external medium through the bioprecipitation of metal carbonates formed in the saturated zone around the cell. This latter phenomenon can be exploited in bioreactors designed to remove metals from effluents. The bacteria are immobilized on composite membranes in a continuous tubular membrane reactor (CTMR). The effluent continuously circulates through the intertubular space, while the external surface of the tubes is in contact with the growth medium. Metal crystals are eventually removed by the effluent stream and collected on a glass bead column. The system has been applied to effluents containing Cd, Zn, Co, Ni and Cu. By introducing catabolic plasmids involved in the aerobic degradation of PCBs and 2,4-D into metal-resistant A. eutrophus strains, the application range was widened to include effluents polluted with both organic and inorganic substances. Biosensors have been developed which are based on the fusion of genes induced by metals to a reporter system, the lux operon of Vibrio fischeri. Bacterial luciferases produce light through the oxidation of fatty aldehydes. The gene fusions are useful both for the study of regulatory genes and for the determination of heavy metal concentrations in the environment. | 1994 | 7917428 |
| 8707 | 10 | 0.9917 | Bacillus megaterium HgT21: a Promising Metal Multiresistant Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria for Soil Biorestoration. The environmental deterioration produced by heavy metals derived from anthropogenic activities has gradually increased. The worldwide dissemination of toxic metals in crop soils represents a threat for sustainability and biosafety in agriculture and requires strategies for the recovery of metal-polluted crop soils. The biorestoration of metal-polluted soils using technologies that combine plants and microorganisms has gained attention in recent decades due to the beneficial and synergistic effects produced by its biotic interactions. In this context, native and heavy metal-resistant plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) play a crucial role in the development of strategies for sustainable biorestoration of metal-contaminated soils. In this study, we present a genomic analysis and characterization of the rhizospheric bacterium Bacillus megaterium HgT21 isolated from metal-polluted soil from Zacatecas, Mexico. The results reveal that this autochthonous bacterium contains an important set of genes related to a variety of operons associated with mercury, arsenic, copper, cobalt, cadmium, zinc and aluminum resistance. Additionally, halotolerance-, beta-lactam resistance-, phosphate solubilization-, and plant growth-promotion-related genes were identified. The analysis of resistance to metal ions revealed resistance to mercury (Hg(II+)), arsenate [AsO(4)]³(-), cobalt (Co(2+)), zinc (Zn(2+)), and copper (Cu(2+)). Moreover, the ability of the HgT21 strain to produce indole acetic acid (a phytohormone) and promote the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in vitro was also demonstrated. The genotype and phenotype of Bacillus megaterium HgT21 reveal its potential to be used as a model of both plant growth-promoting and metal multiresistant bacteria. IMPORTANCE Metal-polluted environments are natural sources of a wide variety of PGPB adapted to cope with toxic metal concentrations. In this work, the bacterial strain Bacillus megaterium HgT21 was isolated from metal-contaminated soil and is proposed as a model for the study of metal multiresistance in spore-forming Gram-positive bacteria due to the presence of a variety of metal resistance-associated genes similar to those encountered in the metal multiresistant Gram-negative Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34. The ability of B. megaterium HgT21 to promote the growth of plants also makes it suitable for the study of plant-bacteria interactions in metal-polluted environments, which is key for the development of techniques for the biorestoration of metal-contaminated soils used for agriculture. | 2022 | 35980185 |
| 6154 | 11 | 0.9917 | Mechanism of arsenic resistance in endophytic bacteria isolated from endemic plant of mine tailings and their arsenophore production. Arsenic contamination is an important environmental problem around the world since its high toxicity, and bacteria resist to this element serve as valuable resource for its bioremediation. Aiming at searching the arsenic-resistant bacteria and determining their resistant mechanism, a total of 27 strains isolated from roots of Prosopis laevigata and Spharealcea angustifolia grown in a heavy metal-contaminated region in Mexico were investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and transformation abilities of arsenate (As(5+)) and arsenite (As(3+)), arsenophore synthesis, arsenate uptake, and cytoplasmatic arsenate reductase (arsC), and arsenite transporter (arsB) genes were studied for these strains. Based on these results and the 16S rDNA sequence analysis, these isolates were identified as arsenic-resistant endophytic bacteria (AREB) belonging to the genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Kocuria, Microbacterium, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus. They could tolerate high concentrations of arsenic with MIC from 20 to > 100 mM for As(5+) and 10-20 mM for As(3+). Eleven isolates presented dual abilities of As(5+) reduction and As(3+) oxidation. As the most effective strains, Micrococcus luteus NE2E1 reduced 94% of the As(5+) and Pseudomonas zhaodongensis NM2E7 oxidized 46% of As(3+) under aerobic condition. About 70 and 44% of the test strains produced arsenophores to chelate As(5+) and As(3+), respectively. The AREB may absorb arsenate via the same receptor of phosphate uptake or via other way in some case. The cytoplasmic arsenate reductase and alternative arsenate reduction pathways exist in these AREB. Therefore, these AREB could be candidates for the bioremediation process. | 2018 | 29476206 |
| 166 | 12 | 0.9917 | Cupriavidus metallidurans: evolution of a metal-resistant bacterium. Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 has gained increasing interest as a model organism for heavy metal detoxification and for biotechnological purposes. Resistance of this bacterium to transition metal cations is predominantly based on metal resistance determinants that contain genes for RND (resistance, nodulation, and cell division protein family) proteins. These are part of transenvelope protein complexes, which seem to detoxify the periplasm by export of toxic metal cations from the periplasm to the outside. Strain CH34 contains 12 predicted RND proteins belonging to a protein family of heavy metal exporters. Together with many efflux systems that detoxify the cytoplasm, regulators and possible metal-binding proteins, RND proteins mediate an efficient defense against transition metal cations. To shed some light into the origin of genes encoding these proteins, the genomes of C. metallidurans CH34 and six related proteobacteria were investigated for occurrence of orthologous and paralogous proteins involved in metal resistance. Strain CH34 was not much different from the other six bacteria when the total content of transport proteins was compared but CH34 had significantly more putative transition metal transport systems than the other bacteria. The genes for these systems are located on its chromosome 2 but especially on plasmids pMOL28 and pMOL30. Cobalt-nickel and chromate resistance determinants located on plasmid pMOL28 evolved by gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer events, leading to a better adaptation of strain CH34 to serpentine-like soils. The czc cobalt-zinc-cadmium resistance determinant, located on plasmid pMOL30 in addition copper, lead and mercury resistance determinants, arose by duplication of a czcICAB core determinant on chromosome 2, plus addition of the czcN gene upstream and the genes czcD, czcRS, czcE downstream of czcICBA. C. metallidurans apparently evolved metal resistance by horizontal acquisition and by duplication of genes for transition metal efflux, mostly on the two plasmids, and decreased the number of uptake systems for those metals. | 2009 | 18830684 |
| 8811 | 13 | 0.9917 | Mechanisms controlling the transformation of and resistance to mercury(II) for a plant-associated Pseudomonas sp. strain, AN-B15. Bioremediation using mercury (Hg)-volatilizing and immobilizing bacteria is an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy for Hg-polluted farmland. However, the mechanisms controlling the transformation of and resistance to Hg(II) by these bacteria remain unknown. In this study, a plant-associated Pseudomonas sp. strain, AN-B15 was isolated and determined to effectively remove Hg(II) under both nutrient-poor and nutrient-rich conditions via volatilization by transforming Hg(II) to Hg(0) and immobilization by transforming Hg(II) to mercury sulfide and Hg-sulfhydryl. Genome and transcriptome analyses revealed that the molecular mechanisms involved in Hg(II) resistance in AN-B15 were a collaborative process involving multiple metabolic systems at the transcriptional level. Under Hg(II) stress, AN-B15 upregulated genes involved in the mer operon and producing the reducing power to rapidly volatilize Hg(II), thereby decreasing its toxicity. Hydroponic culture experiments also revealed that inoculation with strain AN-B15 alleviated Hg-induced toxicity and reduced the uptake of Hg(II) in the roots of wheat seedlings, as explained by the volatilization and immobilization of Hg(II) and plant growth-promoting traits of AN-B15. Overall, the results from the in vitro assays provided vital information that are essential for understanding the mechanism of Hg(II) resistance in plant-associated bacteria, which can also be applied for the bioremediation of Hg-contamination in future. | 2022 | 34915295 |
| 165 | 14 | 0.9917 | An efflux transporter PbrA and a phosphatase PbrB cooperate in a lead-resistance mechanism in bacteria. The gene cluster pbrTRABCD from Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is thought to encode a unique, specific resistance mechanism for lead. However, the exact functions of these genes are unknown. In this study we examine the metal specificity and functions of pbrABCD by expressing these genes in different combinations and comparing their ability to restore Pb(2+), Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) resistance in a metal-sensitive C. metallidurans strain DN440. We show that lead resistance in C. metallidurans is achieved through the cooperation of the Zn/Cd/Pb-translocating ATPase PbrA and the undecaprenyl pyrophosphate phosphatase PbrB. While PbrA non-specifically exported Pb(2+), Zn(2+) and Cd(2+), a specific increase in lead resistance was observed when PbrA and PbrB were coexpressed. As a model of action for PbrA and PbrB we propose a mechanism where Pb(2+) is exported from the cytoplasm by PbrA and then sequestered as a phosphate salt with the inorganic phosphate produced by PbrB. Similar operons containing genes for heavy metal translocating ATPases and phosphatases were found in several different bacterial species, suggesting that lead detoxification through active efflux and sequestration is a common lead-resistance mechanism. | 2009 | 19737357 |
| 511 | 15 | 0.9916 | Oxidation of organoarsenicals and antimonite by a novel flavin monooxygenase widely present in soil bacteria. Arsenic can be biomethylated to form a variety of organic arsenicals differing in toxicity and environmental mobility. Trivalent methylarsenite (MAs(III)) produced in the methylation process is more toxic than inorganic arsenite (As(III)). MAs(III) also serves as a primitive antibiotic and, consequently, some environmental microorganisms have evolved mechanisms to detoxify MAs(III). However, the mechanisms of MAs(III) detoxification are not well understood. In this study, we identified an arsenic resistance (ars) operon consisting of three genes, arsRVK, that contribute to MAs(III) resistance in Ensifer adhaerens ST2. ArsV is annotated as an NADPH-dependent flavin monooxygenase with unknown function. Expression of arsV in the arsenic hypersensitive Escherichia coli strain AW3110Δars conferred resistance to MAs(III) and the ability to oxidize MAs(III) to MAs(V). In the presence of NADPH and either FAD or FMN, purified ArsV protein was able to oxidize both MAs(III) to MAs(V) and Sb(III) to Sb(V). Genes with arsV-like sequences are widely present in soils and environmental bacteria. Metagenomic analysis of five paddy soils showed the abundance of arsV-like sequences of 0.12-0.25 ppm. These results demonstrate that ArsV is a novel enzyme for the detoxification of MAs(III) and Sb(III) and the genes encoding ArsV are widely present in soil bacteria. | 2022 | 33769668 |
| 8693 | 16 | 0.9916 | An Overview of Bacteria-Mediated Heavy Metal Bioremediation Strategies. Contamination-free groundwater is considered a good source of potable water. Even in the twenty-first century, over 90 percent of the population is reliant on groundwater resources for their lives. Groundwater influences the economical state, industrial development, ecological system, and agricultural and global health conditions worldwide. However, different natural and artificial processes are gradually polluting groundwater and drinking water systems throughout the world. Toxic metalloids are one of the major sources that pollute the water system. In this review work, we have collected and analyzed information on metal-resistant bacteria along with their genetic information and remediation mechanisms of twenty different metal ions [arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), palladium (Pd), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), antimony (Sb), gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), tungsten (W), and uranium (U)]. We have surveyed the scientific information available on bacteria-mediated bioremediation of various metals and presented the data with responsible genes and proteins that contribute to bioremediation, bioaccumulation, and biosorption mechanisms. Knowledge of the genes responsible and self-defense mechanisms of diverse metal-resistance bacteria would help us to engineer processes involving multi-metal-resistant bacteria that may reduce metal toxicity in the environment. | 2024 | 37410353 |
| 6143 | 17 | 0.9916 | Paleomicrobiology to investigate copper resistance in bacteria: isolation and description of Cupriavidus necator B9 in the soil of a medieval foundry. Remains of a medieval foundry were excavated by archaeologists in 2013 in Verdun (France). Ancient workshops specialized in brass and copper alloys were found with an activity between 13th to 16th c. Levels of Cu, Zn and Pb reached 20000, 7000 and 6000 mg kg(-1) (dw), respectively, in several soil horizons. The objective of the present work was to examine the microbial community in this contaminated site. A total of 8-22 10(6) reads were obtained by shotgun metagenomics in four soil horizons. Bioinformatic analyses suggest the presence of complex bacterial communities dominated by Proteobacteria. The structure of the community was not affected by metals, contrary to the set of metal-resistance genes. Using selective media, a novel strain of Cupriavidus necator (eutrophus), strain B9, was isolated. Its genome was sequenced and a novel metal resistance gene cluster with Hg resistance genes (merRTPCA) followed by 24 copper-resistance genes (actP, cusCBAF, silP, copK1, copH4QLOFGJH3IDCBARS, copH2H1, copK2) was found. This cluster is partly homologous to the cop genes of Cupriavidus gilardii CR3 and C. metallidurans CH34. Proteomics indicated that the four copH genes were differentially expressed: CopH1 and CopH2 were mostly induced by Cd while CopH4 was highly expressed by Cu. | 2017 | 27943589 |
| 363 | 18 | 0.9915 | Constitutive arsenite oxidase expression detected in arsenic-hypertolerant Pseudomonas xanthomarina S11. Pseudomonas xanthomarina S11 is an arsenite-oxidizing bacterium isolated from an arsenic-contaminated former gold mine in Salsigne, France. This bacterium showed high resistance to arsenite and was able to oxidize arsenite to arsenate at concentrations up to 42.72 mM As[III]. The genome of this strain was sequenced and revealed the presence of three ars clusters. One of them is located on a plasmid and is organized as an "arsenic island" harbouring an aio operon and genes involved in phosphorous metabolism, in addition to the ars genes. Neither the aioXRS genes nor a specific sigma-54-dependent promoter located upstream of aioBA genes, both involved in regulation of arsenite oxidase expression in other arsenite-oxidizing bacteria, could be identified in the genome. This observation is in accordance with the fact that no difference was observed in expression of arsenite oxidase in P. xanthomarina S11, whether or not the strain was grown in the presence of As[III]. | 2015 | 25753102 |
| 180 | 19 | 0.9915 | Bacterial resistances to inorganic mercury salts and organomercurials. Environmental and clinical isolates of mercury-resistant (resistant to inorganic mercury salts and organomercurials) bacteria have genes for the enzymes mercuric ion reductase and organomercurial lyase. These genes are often plasmid-encoded, although chromosomally encoded resistance determinants have been occasionally identified. Organomercurial lyase cleaves the C-Hg bond and releases Hg(II) in addition to the appropriate organic compound. Mercuric reductase reduces Hg(II) to Hg(O), which is nontoxic and volatilizes from the medium. Mercuric reductase is a FAD-containing oxidoreductase and requires NAD(P)H and thiol for in vitro activity. The crystal structure of mercuric ion reductase has been partially solved. The primary sequence and the three-dimensional structure of the mercuric reductase are significantly homologous to those of other flavin-containing oxidoreductases, e.g., glutathione reductase and lipoamide dehydrogenase. The active site sequences are the most conserved region among these flavin-containing enzymes. Genes encoding other functions have been identified on all mercury ion resistance determinants studied thus far. All mercury resistance genes are clustered into an operon. Hg(II) is transported into the cell by the products of one to three genes encoded on the resistance determinants. The expression of the operon is regulated and is inducible by Hg(II). In some systems, the operon is inducible by both Hg(II) and some organomercurials. In gram-negative bacteria, two regulatory genes (merR and merD) were identified. The (merR) regulatory gene is transcribed divergently from the other genes in gram-negative bacteria. The product of merR represses operon expression in the absence of the inducers and activates transcription in the presence of the inducers. The product of merD coregulates (modulates) the expression of the operon. Both merR and merD gene products bind to the same operator DNA. The primary sequence of the promoter for the polycistronic mer operon is not ideal for efficient transcription by the RNA polymerase. The -10 and -35 sequences are separated by 19 (gram-negative systems) or 20 (gram-positive systems) nucleotides, 2 or 3 nucleotides longer than the 17-nucleotide optimum distance for binding and efficient transcription by the Escherichia coli sigma 70-containing RNA polymerase. The binding site of MerR is not altered by the presence of Hg(II) (inducer). Experimental data suggest that the MerR-Hg(II) complex alters the local structure of the promoter region, facilitating initiation of transcription of the mer operon by the RNA polymerase. In gram-positive bacteria MerR also positively regulates expression of the mer operon in the presence of Hg(II). | 1992 | 1311113 |