Copper promotes E. coli laccase-mediated TNT biotransformation and alters the toxicity of TNT metabolites toward Tigriopus japonicus

The mechanism of plants and effective microorganisms combined remediation of heavily TNT-contaminated soil

High concentrations of energetic compounds in soil pose a serious threat to the ecology and human health. In this study, a combination of plant-microbe remediation was used to remediate soil contaminated with high TNT concentrations. This study aimed to reveal the remediation efficiency, metabolic potential, and microbial community structure in high-concentration TNT-contaminated soils following combined remediation. Five plants and microorganisms were combined to remediate soil contaminated with high concentrations of TNT (1434 mg/kg). The TNT residues in the soil were only 69-125 mg/kg after 60 days. The combined plant-microbe remediation enhanced the soil nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, and phosphorus metabolism. Untargeted metabolome gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the combined remediation restored fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and sugar metabolism pathways in TNT-contaminated soil. Subsequent 16S rRNA diversity analysis showed that the combined microbial agents occupied soil ecological niches. Interaction network analysis showed that phytomicrobial remediation improved the rate of recovery of TNT-contaminated soil by reshaping the microbial structure and metabolic cycles.

Low toxicity of magnetite-based modified bionanocomposites with potential application for wastewater treatment: Evaluation in a zebrafish animal model

In recent years, the escalating concerns surrounding environmental pollution and the need for sustainable wastewater treatment solutions have underscored the significance of developing technologies that can efficiently treat wastewater while also reducing negative ecological effects. In this context, our study aims to contribute to the advancement of sustainable technologies for wastewater treatment, by investigating the effects that bare magnetite nanoparticles and those functionalized with the enzyme laccase could have in an aquatic animal, zebrafish, at various life cycle stages. Exposure to magnetite nanoparticles shows some effects on embryo hatching, survival rates, or larval behavior at higher concentrations. For both treatments, the hatching percentages were close to 80% compared to 93% for the control group. At the end of the observations in larvae, survival in all the evaluated groups was higher than 90%. Additionally, we evaluated the accumulation of nanoparticles in various stages of zebrafish. We found that, although there was accumulation during embryonic stages, it did not affect normal development or subsequent hatching. Iron levels in different organs such as gills, muscles, gastrointestinal tract, and brain were also evaluated in adults. Animals treated with a mix of food and nanoparticles at 10 μg/mL (Food group) presented a higher concentration of iron accumulation in muscle, gastrointestinal tract, and gills compared to the untreated control group. Although iron levels increased depending on the dose and exposure method applied, they were not statistically significant from the control groups. Our findings suggest that bionanocomposites evaluated here can be considered safe for removal of contaminants in wastewater without toxic effects or detrimental accumulation fish's health.

Biotransformation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene by a cocktail of native laccases from Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43 under oxygenic and non-oxygenic atmospheres

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a highly toxic nitroaromatic explosive known for its environmental consequences, contaminating soil and groundwater throughout its life cycle, from production to disposal. Therefore, the urgency of developing innovative and ecological strategies to remedy the affected areas is recognized. This study reports, for the first time, the enzymatic biotransformation of TNT by a cocktail of native laccases from Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43. The laccases displayed efficient TNT conversion under both oxygenic and non-oxygenic conditions, achieving biotransformation rates of 80% and 87% within 48 h at a temperature of 60 °C and pH 7. Preliminary kinetic constants were calculated with the laccase cocktail, being a Vmax of 1.133 μM min-1 and 0.2984 μM min-1, and the Km values were 1586 μM and 458 μM, in an oxygenic and non-oxygenic atmosphere, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) confirmed the formation of amino dinitrotoluene isomers and hydroxylamine isomers as biotransformation products. In summary, this study suggests the potential application of laccases for the direct biotransformation of recalcitrant compounds like TNT, offering an environmentally friendly approach to address contamination issues.

Oxygen-insensitive nitroreductase bacteria-mediated degradation of TNT and proteomic analysis

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a nitroaromatic compound that causes soil and groundwater pollution during manufacture, transportation, and use, posing significant environmental and safety hazards. In this study, a TNT-degrading strain, Bacillus cereus strain T4, was screened and isolated from TNT-contaminated soil to explore its degradation characteristics and proteomic response to TNT. The results showed that after inoculation with the bacteria for 4 h, the TNT degradation rate reached 100% and was transformed into 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT), 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT), 2,4-diamino-6-nitrotoluene (2,4-DANT), and 2,6-diamino-4-nitrotoluene (2,6-DANT), accompanied by the accumulation of nitrite and ammonium ions. Through proteomic sequencing, we identified 999 differentially expressed proteins (482 upregulated, 517 downregulated), mainly enriched in the pentose phosphate, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and amino acid metabolism pathways. In addition, the significant upregulation of nitroreductase and N-ethylmaleimide reductase was closely related to TNT denitration and confirmed that the strain T4 converted TNT into intermediate metabolites such as 2-ADNT and 4-ADNT. Therefore, Bacillus cereus strain T4 has the potential to degrade TNT and has a high tolerance to intermediate products, which may effectively degrade nitroaromatic pollutants such as TNT in situ remediation in combination with other bacterial communities.

Critical Role of Monooxygenase in Biodegradation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene by Buttiauxella sp. S19-1

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an aromatic pollutant that is difficult to be degraded in the natural environment. The screening of efficient degrading bacteria for bioremediation of TNT has received much attention from scholars. In this paper, transcriptome analysis of the efficient degrading bacterium Buttiauxella sp. S19-1 revealed that the monooxygenase gene (BuMO) was significantly up-regulated during TNT degradation. S-ΔMO (absence of BuMO gene in S19-1 mutant) degraded TNT 1.66-fold less efficiently than strain S19-1 (from 71.2% to 42.9%), and E-MO mutant (Escherichia coli BuMO-expressing strain) increased the efficiency of TNT degradation 1.33-fold (from 52.1% to 69.5%) for 9 h at 180 rpm at 27 °C in LB medium with 1.4 µg·mL^-1 TNT. We predicted the structure of BuMO and purified recombinant BuMO (rBuMO). Its specific activity was 1.81 µmol·min^-1·mg^-1 protein at pH 7.5 and 35 °C. The results of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis indicated that 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (ADNT) is a metabolite of TNT biodegradation. We speculate that MO is involved in catalysis in the bacterial degradation pathway of TNT in TNT-polluted environment.

Transformation of 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene by Stenotrophomonas strain SG1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

TNT, or 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a common explosive that can contaminate soil and groundwater in production sites, military training areas, and disposal locations. The compound is highly toxic; therefore, there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the impacted environments. Harnessing the microbial ability to biodegrade TNT into environmentally harmless compound(s) is one approach to remediating contaminated sites. In our study, we report on the genomic and metabolic ability of Stenotrophomonas strain SG1 to degrade TNT under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The bacterial strain SG1 was first isolated as a contaminant from a culture of Diaphorobacter sp. strain DS2 over minimal media supplemented with TNT. The draft genome assembly of strain SG1 is ∼4.7 Mb and is distributed among 358 contigs. The homology search against the custom database of enzymes responsible for TNT biodegradation revealed the presence of three N-ethylmaleimide reductases (NemA) with a defined KEGG ortholog and KEGG pathway of TNT degradation. The presence of respiratory nitrate reductases has also been mapped, which supports denitrification under anaerobic conditions. Experimentally, the TNT transformation rate accelerated when carbon sources, such as sodium acetate, sodium citrate, sodium succinate, sucrose, and glucose (final concentration of 5 mM), were added. Citrate promoted the highest growth and TNT transformation ratio (88.35%) in 120 h. With the addition of 5 mM ammonium chloride, TNT completely disappeared in the citrate and sucrose-containing treatments in 120 h. However, higher biomass was obtained in the sucrose and glucose-containing treatments in 120 h. During incubation, the formation of amino dinitrotoluene isomers, dinitrotoluene isomers, trinitrobenzene, azoxy isomers, diaryl hydroxylamines, and corresponding secondary amines was confirmed by GC/MS and UPLC/MS. 2-Amino-4-nitrotoluene, 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene, and 2-amino-6-nitrotoluene were also identified in the culture supernatant by GC/MS. Under anaerobic conditions, TNT completely disappeared in the citrate and citrate plus nitrate treatments. Since the strain shows the ability to remove TNT, this research should be useful in basic research and practical applications for removing TNT from wastewater.

5-Nitrotetrazol and 1,2,4-Oxadiazole Methylene-Bridged Energetic Compounds: Synthesis, Crystal Structures and Performances

A new structural type for melt cast materials was designed by linking nitrotetrazole ring with 1,2,4-oxadiazole through a N-CH₂-C bridge for the first time. Three N-CH₂-C linkage bridged energetic compounds, including 3-((5-nitro-2H-tetrazol-2-yl) methyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole (NTOM), 3-((5-nitro-2H-tetrazol-2-yl)methyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,4 -oxadiazole (NTOF) and 3-((5-nitro-2H-tetrazol-2-yl)methyl)-5-amine-1,2,4-oxadiazole (NTOA), were designed and synthesized through a two-step reaction by using 2-(5-nitro-2H-tetrazole -2-yl)acetonitrile as the starting material. The synthesized compounds were fully characterized by NMR (¹H, ¹³C), IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The single crystals of NTOM, NTOF and NTOA were successfully obtained and investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The thermal stabilities of these compounds were evaluated by DSC-TG measurements, and their apparent activation energies were calculated by Kissinger and Ozawa methods. The crystal densities of the three compounds were between 1.66 g/cm³ (NTOA) and 1.87 g/cm³ (NTOF). The impact and friction sensitivities were measured by standard BAM fall-hammer techniques, and their detonation performances were computed using the EXPLO 5 (v. 6.04) program. The detonation velocities of the three compounds are between 7271 m/s (NTOF) and 7909 m/s (NTOM). The impact sensitivities are >40 J, and the friction sensitivities are >360 N. NTOM, NTOF and NTOA are thermally stable, with decomposition points > 240 °C. The melting points of NTOM and NTOF are 82.6 °C and 71.7 °C, respectively. Hence, they possess potential to be used as melt cast materials with good thermal stabilities and better detonation performances than TNT.

Cu(II) nonspecifically binding chromate reductase NfoR promotes Cr(VI) reduction

Cu(II)-enhanced microbial Cr(VI) reduction is common in the environment, yet its mechanism is unknown. The specific activity of chromate reductase, NfoR, from Staphylococcus aureus sp. LZ-01 was augmented 1.5-fold by Cu(II). Isothermal titration calorimetry and spectral data show that Cu(II) binds to NfoR nonspecifically. Further, Cu(II) stimulates the nitrobenzene reduction of NfoR, indicating that Cu(II) promotes electron transfer. The crystal structure of NfoR in complex with CuSO₄ (1.46 Å) was determined. The overall structure of NfoR-Cu(II) complex is a dimer that covalently binds with FMN and Cu(II)-binding pocket is located at the interface of the NfoR dimer. Structural superposition revealed that NfoR resembles the structure of class II chromate reductase. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that Leu⁴⁶ and Phe¹²³ were involved in NADH binding, whereas Trp⁷⁰ and Ser⁴⁵ were the key residues for nitrobenzene binding. Furthermore, His¹⁰⁰ and Asp¹⁷¹ were preferential affinity sites for Cu(II) and that Cys¹⁶³ is an active site for FMN binding. Attenuation reductase activity in C163S can be partially restored to 54% wild type by increasing Cu(II) concentration. Partial restoration indicates dual-channel electron transfer of NfoR via Cu(II) and FMN. We propose a catalytic mechanism for Cu(II)-enhanced NfoR activity in which Cu(I) is formed transiently. Together, the current results provide an insight on Cu (II)-induced enhancement and benefit of Cr(VI) bioremediation.