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Huang Y, Li XT, Jiang Z, Liang ZL, Liu W, Liu ZH, Li LZ, Yang ZN, Zhang GQ, Yin HQ, Liang JL, Zhou N, Liu SJ, Jiang CY. Mineral types dominate microbiomes and biogeochemical cycling in acid mine drainage. WATER RESEARCH 2025; 278:123367. [PMID: 40020468 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2025] [Accepted: 02/21/2025] [Indexed: 03/03/2025]
Abstract
Acid mine drainage (AMD) environments are typically used as models to study the crucial roles of acidophilic microbes in aquatic environments. Nevertheless, knowledge regarding microbial-driven biogeochemical cycling across mining regions remains limited. In this study, a metagenomics-based approach was employed to explore the diversity, composition, and ecological functions of microbiomes in global AMD environments with different mineral types. A total of 226 metagenomes, covering 12 mineral types of AMD, were analyzed. As a result, 2114 microbial metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were obtained, representing members from 33 bacterial phyla and 8 archaeal phyla. The core taxa and functional groups in AMDs were identified. Additionally, twelve bacterial and two archaeal lineages were discovered for the first time in AMD environments. The specific metabolic potentials of these genomes were also determined. Our results revealed a high level of specialization in the diversity structures and ecological functions of AMD microbial communities based on mineral-type conditions. Mineral type significantly contributed to the dissimilarity in the AMD microbiomes, especially in water environments, underscoring the pivotal role of mineral types in shaping the microbial community in the AMD environment. Collectively, these findings provide novel perspectives on the ecology and metabolism of microbiomes in extreme AMD environments globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; Jiangxi Institute of Respiratory Disease, Jiangxi Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, The Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, PR China
| | - Xiu-Tong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Zhen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Zong-Ling Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Wan Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Bio-Med Big Data Center, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Science, PR China
| | - Zheng-Hua Liu
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha 410006, PR China
| | - Liang-Zhi Li
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha 410006, PR China
| | - Zhen-Ni Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Guo-Qing Zhang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Bio-Med Big Data Center, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Science, PR China
| | - Hua-Qun Yin
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha 410006, PR China
| | - Jie-Liang Liang
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, PR China
| | - Nan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China
| | - Shuang-Jiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
| | - Cheng-Ying Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
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2
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Shaji PS, Vincent SGT, Subburamu K. Sulfate-reducing bacteria in removal of pollutants: a promising candidate for bioremediation. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2025; 41:125. [PMID: 40189658 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-025-04345-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2025] [Accepted: 03/30/2025] [Indexed: 04/23/2025]
Abstract
Industrial processes contribute significantly to environmental pollution, particularly by releasing sulfate-rich wastewater containing toxic metals and organic pollutants. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), being anaerobic microorganisms, are capable of reducing sulfate to sulfide, which precipitates harmful heavy metals and facilitates bioremediation. This review explores the potential of SRB in industrial wastewater treatment, focusing on their roles in the bioremediation of sulfates, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Laboratory-scale experiments demonstrated that SRB effectively reduces sulfate concentrations and removes heavy metals such as zinc, cadmium, and chromium through sulfidogenesis. The treatment process shows promise as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional chemical methods. However, challenges related to hydrogen sulfide emissions and process scalability persist. Future research focuses on enhancing SRB activity through optimized bioreactor designs while effectively controlling H2S release. This review emphasizes SRB as a promising candidate for industrial applications in wastewater treatment and environmental management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panchami Sreeja Shaji
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
| | | | - Karthikeyan Subburamu
- Centre for Post Harvest Technology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India
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3
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Magrini C, Verga F, Bassani I, Pirri CF, Abdel Azim A. A Microbial-Centric View of Mobile Phones: Enhancing the Technological Feasibility of Biotechnological Recovery of Critical Metals. Bioengineering (Basel) 2025; 12:101. [PMID: 40001621 PMCID: PMC11852156 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering12020101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2024] [Revised: 01/13/2025] [Accepted: 01/15/2025] [Indexed: 02/27/2025] Open
Abstract
End-of-life (EoL) mobile phones represent a valuable reservoir of critical raw materials at higher concentrations compared to primary ores. This review emphasizes the critical need to transition from single-material recovery approaches to comprehensive, holistic strategies for recycling EoL mobile phones. In response to the call for sustainable techniques with reduced energy consumption and pollutant emissions, biohydrometallurgy emerges as a promising solution. The present work intends to review the most relevant studies focusing on the exploitation of microbial consortia in bioleaching and biorecovery processes. All living organisms need macro- and micronutrients for their metabolic functionalities, including some of the elements contained in mobile phones. By exploring the interactions between microbial communities and the diverse elements found in mobile phones, this paper establishes a microbial-centric perspective by connecting each element of each layer to their role in the microbial cell system. A special focus is dedicated to the concepts of ecodesign and modularity as key requirements in electronics to potentially increase selectivity of microbial consortia in the bioleaching process. By bridging microbial science with sustainable design, this review proposes an innovative roadmap to optimize metal recovery, aligning with the principles of the circular economy and advancing scalable biotechnological solutions for electronic waste management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Magrini
- Politecnico di Torino, Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI), 10129 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (F.V.)
- Centre for Sustainable Future Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 10144 Turin, Italy; (I.B.); (C.F.P.)
| | - Francesca Verga
- Politecnico di Torino, Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI), 10129 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (F.V.)
| | - Ilaria Bassani
- Centre for Sustainable Future Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 10144 Turin, Italy; (I.B.); (C.F.P.)
| | - Candido Fabrizio Pirri
- Centre for Sustainable Future Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 10144 Turin, Italy; (I.B.); (C.F.P.)
- Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), 10129 Turin, Italy
| | - Annalisa Abdel Azim
- Centre for Sustainable Future Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 10144 Turin, Italy; (I.B.); (C.F.P.)
- Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), 10129 Turin, Italy
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4
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Hirth N, Wiesemann N, Krüger S, Gerlach MS, Preußner K, Galea D, Herzberg M, Große C, Nies DH. A gold speciation that adds a second layer to synergistic gold-copper toxicity in Cupriavidus metallidurans. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0014624. [PMID: 38557120 PMCID: PMC11022561 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00146-24] [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: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The metal-resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans occurs in metal-rich environments. In auriferous soils, the bacterium is challenged by a mixture of copper ions and gold complexes, which exert synergistic toxicity. The previously used, self-made Au(III) solution caused a synergistic toxicity of copper and gold that was based on the inhibition of the CupA-mediated efflux of cytoplasmic Cu(I) by Au(I) in this cellular compartment. In this publication, the response of the bacterium to gold and copper was investigated by using a commercially available Au(III) solution instead of the self-made solution. The new solution was five times more toxic than the previously used one. Increased toxicity was accompanied by greater accumulation of gold atoms by the cells. The contribution of copper resistance determinants to the commercially available Au(III) solution and synergistic gold-copper toxicity was studied using single- and multiple-deletion mutants. The commercially available Au(III) solution inhibited periplasmic Cu(I) homeostasis, which is required for the allocation of copper ions to copper-dependent proteins in this compartment. The presence of the gene for the periplasmic Cu(I) and Au(I) oxidase, CopA, decreased the cellular copper and gold content. Transcriptional reporter gene fusions showed that up-regulation of gig, encoding a minor contributor to copper resistance, was strictly glutathione dependent. Glutathione was also required to resist synergistic gold-copper toxicity. The new data indicated a second layer of synergistic copper-gold toxicity caused by the commercial Au(III) solution, inhibition of the periplasmic copper homeostasis in addition to the cytoplasmic one.IMPORTANCEWhen living in auriferous soils, Cupriavidus metallidurans is not only confronted with synergistic toxicity of copper ions and gold complexes but also by different gold species. A previously used gold solution made by using aqua regia resulted in the formation of periplasmic gold nanoparticles, and the cells were protected against gold toxicity by the periplasmic Cu(I) and Au(I) oxidase CopA. To understand the role of different gold species in the environment, another Au(III) solution was commercially acquired. This compound was more toxic due to a higher accumulation of gold atoms by the cells and inhibition of periplasmic Cu(I) homeostasis. Thus, the geo-biochemical conditions might influence Au(III) speciation. The resulting Au(III) species may subsequently interact in different ways with C. metallidurans and its copper homeostasis system in the cytoplasm and periplasm. This study reveals that the geochemical conditions may decide whether bacteria are able to form gold nanoparticles or not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Hirth
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Nicole Wiesemann
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Stephanie Krüger
- Microscopy Unit, Biocenter, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Wittenberg, Germany
| | - Michelle-Sophie Gerlach
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Kilian Preußner
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Diana Galea
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Martin Herzberg
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cornelia Große
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dietrich H Nies
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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5
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Interplay between Two-Component Regulatory Systems Is Involved in Control of Cupriavidus metallidurans Metal Resistance Genes. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0034322. [PMID: 36892288 PMCID: PMC10127602 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00343-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Metal resistance of Cupriavidus metallidurans is based on determinants that were acquired in the past by horizontal gene transfer during evolution. Some of these determinants encode transmembrane metal efflux systems. Expression of most of the respective genes is controlled by two-component regulatory systems composed of a membrane-bound sensor/sensory histidine kinase (HK) and a cytoplasmic, DNA-binding response regulator (RR). Here, we investigated the interplay between the three closely related two-component regulatory systems CzcRS, CzcR2S2, and AgrRS. All three systems regulate the response regulator CzcR, while the RRs AgrR and CzcR2 were not involved in czc regulation. Target promoters were czcNp and czcPp for genes upstream and downstream of the central czc gene region. The two systems together repressed CzcRS-dependent upregulation of czcP-lacZ at low zinc concentrations in the presence of CzcS but activated this signal transmission at higher zinc concentrations. AgrRS and CzcR2S2 interacted to quench CzcRS-mediated expression of czcNp-lacZ and czcPp-lacZ. Together, cross talk between the three two-component regulatory systems enhanced the capabilities of the Czc systems by controlling expression of the additional genes czcN and czcP. IMPORTANCE Bacteria are able to acquire genes encoding resistance to metals and antibiotics by horizontal gene transfer. To bestow an evolutionary advantage on their host cell, new genes must be expressed, and their expression should be regulated so that resistance-mediating proteins are produced only when needed. Newly acquired regulators may interfere with those already present in a host cell. Such an event was studied here in the metal-resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans. The results demonstrate how regulation by the acquired genes interacts with the host's extant regulatory network. This leads to emergence of a new system level of complexity that optimizes the response of the cell to periplasmic signals.
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6
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Patterson D. The scope and scale of the life sciences (‘Nature’s envelope’). RESEARCH IDEAS AND OUTCOMES 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/rio.8.e96132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The extension of biology with a more data-centric component offers new opportunities for discovery. To enable investigations that rely on third-party data, the infrastructure that retains data and allows their re-use should, arguably, enable transactions that relate to any and all biological processes. The assembly of such a service-oriented and enabling infrastructure is challenging. Part of the challenge is to factor in the scope and scale of biological processes. From this foundation can emerge an estimate of the number of discipline-specific centres which will gather data in their given area of interest and prepare them for a path that will lead to trusted, persistent data repositories which will make fit-for-purpose data available for re-use. A simple model is presented for the scope and scale of life sciences. It can accommodate all known processes conducted by or caused by any and all organisms. It is depicted on a grid, the axes of which are (x) the durations of the processes and (y) the sizes of participants involved. Both axes are presented in log10 scales, and the grid is divided into decadal blocks with ten fold increments of time and size. Processes range in duration from 10-17 seconds to 3.5 billion years or more, and the sizes of participants range from 10-15 to 1.3 107 metres. Examples are given to illustrate the diversity of biological processes and their often inexact character. About half of the blocks within the grid do not contain known processes. The blocks that include biological processes amount to ‘Nature’s envelope’, a valuable rhetorical device onto which subdisciplines and existing initiatives may be mapped, and from which can be derived some key requirements for a comprehensive data infrastructure.
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7
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Ermolin MS, Ivaneev AI, Brzhezinskiy AS, Karandashev VK, Mokhov AV, Fedotov PS. Anthropogenic Source of Gold in Moscow Urban Dust. JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1061934822100045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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8
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Wang Y, You LX, Zhong HL, Wu GK, Li YP, Yang XJ, Wang AJ, Nealson KH, Herzberg M, Rensing C. Au(III)-induced extracellular electron transfer by Burkholderia contaminans ZCC for the bio-recovery of gold nanoparticles. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 210:112910. [PMID: 35151659 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The biorecovery of gold (Au) by microbial reduction has received increasing attention, however, the biomolecules involved and the mechanisms by which they operate to produce Au nanoparticles have been not resolved. Here we report that Burkholderia contaminans ZCC is capable of reduction of Au(III) to Au nanoparticles on the cell surface. Exposure of B. contaminans ZCC to Au(III) led to significant changes in the functional group of cell proteins, with approximately 11.1% of the (C-C/C-H) bonds being converted to CO (8.1%) and C-OH (3.0%) bonds and 29.4% of the CO bonds being converted to (C-OH/C-O-C/P-O-C) bonds, respectively. In response to Au(III), B. contaminans ZCC also displayed the ability of extracellular electron transfer (EET) via membrane proteins and could produce reduced riboflavin as verified by electrochemical and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric results, but did not do so without Au(III) being present. Addition of exogenous reduced riboflavin to the medium suggested that B. contaminans ZCC could utilize indirect EET via riboflavin to enhance the rate of reduction of Au(III). Transcriptional analysis of the riboflavin genes (ribBDEFH) supported the view of the importance of riboflavin in the reduction of Au(III) and its importance in the biorecovery of gold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Le-Xing You
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China.
| | - Hong-Lin Zhong
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, PR China
| | - Gao-Kai Wu
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Yuan-Ping Li
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, PR China
| | - Xiao-Jun Yang
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, PR China
| | - Ai-Jun Wang
- College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, PR China
| | - Kenneth H Nealson
- Department of Earth Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Martin Herzberg
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, PR China.
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Wang L, Yan L, Ye L, Chen J, Li Y, Zhang Q, Jing C. Identification and Characterization of a Au(III) Reductase from Erwinia sp. IMH. JACS AU 2022; 2:1435-1442. [PMID: 35783184 PMCID: PMC9241155 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.2c00170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms contribute to the formation of secondary gold (Au) deposits through enzymatic reduction of Au(III) to Au(0). However, the enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of Au(III) remains enigmatic. Here, we identified and characterized a previously unknown Au reductase (GolR) in the cytoplasm of Erwinia sp. IMH. The expression of golR was strongly up-regulated in response to increasing Au(III) concentrations and exposure time. Mutant with in-frame deletion of golR was incapable of reducing Au(III), and the capability was rescued by reintroducing wild-type golR into the mutant strain. The Au(III) reduction was determined to occur in the cytoplasmic space by comparing the TEM images of the wild-type, mutant, and complemented strains. In vitro assays of the purified GolR protein confirmed its ability to reduce Au(III) to Au nanoparticles. Molecular dynamic simulations demonstrated that the hydrophobic cavity of GolR may selectively bind AuCl2(OH)2 -, the predominant auric chloride species at neutral pH. Density functional theory calculations revealed that AuCl2(OH)2 - may be coordinated at the Fe-containing active site of GolR and is probably reduced via three consecutive proton-coupled electron transfer processes. The new class of reductase, GolR, opens the chapter for the mechanistic understanding of Au(III) bioreduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liying Wang
- State
Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research
Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Li Yan
- State
Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research
Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Li Ye
- School
of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Jinfeng Chen
- Environment
Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yanwei Li
- Environment
Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- Environment
Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Chuanyong Jing
- State
Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research
Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- School
of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
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10
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Emmings JF, Poulton SW, Walsh J, Leeming KA, Ross I, Peters SE. Pyrite mega-analysis reveals modes of anoxia through geological time. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabj5687. [PMID: 35294245 PMCID: PMC8926349 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The redox structure of the water column in anoxic basins through geological time remains poorly resolved despite its importance to biological evolution/extinction and biogeochemical cycling. Here, we provide a temporal record of bottom and pore water redox conditions by analyzing the temporal distribution and chemistry of sedimentary pyrite. We combine machine-reading techniques, applied over a large library of published literature, with statistical analysis of element concentrations in databases of sedimentary pyrite and bulk sedimentary rocks to generate a scaled analysis spanning the majority of Earth's history. This analysis delineates the prevalent anoxic basin states from the Archaean to present day, which are associated with diagnostic combinations of five types of syngenetic pyrite. The underlying driver(s) for the pyrite types are unresolved but plausibly includes the ambient seawater inventory, precipitation kinetics, and the (co)location of organic matter degradation coupled to sulfate reduction, iron (oxyhydr)oxide dissolution, and pyrite precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph F. Emmings
- British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12
5GG, UK
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment,
University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Simon W. Poulton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds,
Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Joanna Walsh
- Lyell Centre, British Geological Survey, Riccarton,
Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
- Ordnance Survey, Explorer House, Adanac Drive,
Southampton SO16 0AS, UK
| | | | - Ian Ross
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of
Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Shanan E. Peters
- Department of Geoscience, University of
Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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11
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Jorjani E, Askari Sabzkoohi H. Gold leaching from ores using biogenic lixiviants – A review. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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12
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Liu X, Zarfel G, van der Weijden R, Loiskandl W, Bitschnau B, Dinkla IJT, Fuchs EC, Paulitsch-Fuchs AH. Density-dependent microbial calcium carbonate precipitation by drinking water bacteria via amino acid metabolism and biosorption. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 202:117444. [PMID: 34314923 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Drinking water plumbing systems appear to be a unique environment for microorganisms as they contain few nutrients but a high mineral concentration. Interactions between mineral content and bacteria, such as microbial calcium carbonate precipitation (MCP) however, has not yet attracted too much attention in drinking water sector. This study aims to carefully examine MCP behavior of two drinking water bacteria species, which may potentially link scaling and biofouling processes in drinking water distribution systems. Evidence from cell density evolution, chemical parameters, and microscopy suggest that drinking water isolates can mediate CaCO3 precipitation through previously overlooked MCP mechanisms like ammonification or biosorption. The results also illustrate the active control of bacteria on the MCP process, as the calcium starts to concentrate onto cell surfaces only after reaching a certain cell density, even though the cell surfaces are shown to be the ideal location for the CaCO3 nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Liu
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gernot Zarfel
- Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular BioMedicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Renata van der Weijden
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Sub-Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Willibald Loiskandl
- Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Brigitte Bitschnau
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Inez J T Dinkla
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Elmar C Fuchs
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Optical Sciences group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente. Twente. the Netherlands.
| | - Astrid H Paulitsch-Fuchs
- Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular BioMedicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; School of Health Sciences & Social Work, Biomedical Sciences, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Klagenfurt, Austria
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13
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Alotaibi BS, Khan M, Shamim S. Unraveling the Underlying Heavy Metal Detoxification Mechanisms of Bacillus Species. Microorganisms 2021; 9:1628. [PMID: 34442707 PMCID: PMC8402239 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The rise of anthropogenic activities has resulted in the increasing release of various contaminants into the environment, jeopardizing fragile ecosystems in the process. Heavy metals are one of the major pollutants that contribute to the escalating problem of environmental pollution, being primarily introduced in sensitive ecological habitats through industrial effluents, wastewater, as well as sewage of various industries. Where heavy metals like zinc, copper, manganese, and nickel serve key roles in regulating different biological processes in living systems, many heavy metals can be toxic even at low concentrations, such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead, and can accumulate in intricate food chains resulting in health concerns. Over the years, many physical and chemical methods of heavy metal removal have essentially been investigated, but their disadvantages like the generation of chemical waste, complex downstream processing, and the uneconomical cost of both methods, have rendered them inefficient,. Since then, microbial bioremediation, particularly the use of bacteria, has gained attention due to the feasibility and efficiency of using them in removing heavy metals from contaminated environments. Bacteria have several methods of processing heavy metals through general resistance mechanisms, biosorption, adsorption, and efflux mechanisms. Bacillus spp. are model Gram-positive bacteria that have been studied extensively for their biosorption abilities and molecular mechanisms that enable their survival as well as their ability to remove and detoxify heavy metals. This review aims to highlight the molecular methods of Bacillus spp. in removing various heavy metals ions from contaminated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Badriyah Shadid Alotaibi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Maryam Khan
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Defence Road Campus, The University of Lahore, Lahore 55150, Pakistan;
| | - Saba Shamim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Defence Road Campus, The University of Lahore, Lahore 55150, Pakistan;
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14
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Ehrlich H, Bailey E, Wysokowski M, Jesionowski T. Forced Biomineralization: A Review. Biomimetics (Basel) 2021; 6:46. [PMID: 34287234 PMCID: PMC8293141 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics6030046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Biologically induced and controlled mineralization of metals promotes the development of protective structures to shield cells from thermal, chemical, and ultraviolet stresses. Metal biomineralization is widely considered to have been relevant for the survival of life in the environmental conditions of ancient terrestrial oceans. Similar behavior is seen among extremophilic biomineralizers today, which have evolved to inhabit a variety of industrial aqueous environments with elevated metal concentrations. As an example of extreme biomineralization, we introduce the category of "forced biomineralization", which we use to refer to the biologically mediated sequestration of dissolved metals and metalloids into minerals. We discuss forced mineralization as it is known to be carried out by a variety of organisms, including polyextremophiles in a range of psychrophilic, thermophilic, anaerobic, alkaliphilic, acidophilic, and halophilic conditions, as well as in environments with very high or toxic metal ion concentrations. While much additional work lies ahead to characterize the various pathways by which these biominerals form, forced biomineralization has been shown to provide insights for the progression of extreme biomimetics, allowing for promising new forays into creating the next generation of composites using organic-templating approaches under biologically extreme laboratory conditions relevant to a wide range of industrial conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann Ehrlich
- Institute of Electronic and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
- Center for Advanced Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61614 Poznan, Poland
- Centre for Climate Change Research, Toronto, ON M4P 1J4, Canada
- ICUBE-University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Bailey
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA;
| | - Marcin Wysokowski
- Faculty of Chemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
| | - Teofil Jesionowski
- Faculty of Chemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
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15
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Bioleaching of Gold from Silicate Ore by Macrococcus caseolyticus and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus: Effect of Medium, Amino Acids and Growth Supernatant. MINERALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/min11060580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The aims of this work were to study the gold leaching by the isolated bacteria from silicate ore. Three strains were isolated and identified as Macrococcus caseolyticus, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and Bacillus sp. MBEA40. However, only M. caseolyticus and A. calcoaceticus were capable of gold bioleaching. In order to examine only the effect of microorganisms involved in the gold bioleaching process, minimal medium and ethanol mineral salt medium without amino acids were used for culturing M. caseolyticus and A. calcoaceticus, respectively. The result showed that the growth supernatant (in the absence of microorganisms) of both strains might be more suitable to leaching gold from ore than leaching by microorganisms (in the presence of microorganisms) directly. This might be due to the fact that there is no interference of gold absorption and metal toxicity in microorganisms in the long-term operation. The result also confirmed that amino acids/peptides/proteins produced by microorganisms might be involved in gold bioleaching, as shown in the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study also found that amine groups and carboxylic groups played important roles in gold bioleaching by M. caseolyticus and A. calcoaceticus. In addition, the bioleaching process had significantly higher gold leaching than mixed pure amino acids due to the growth supernatant containing mixed amino acids/peptides/proteins and other compounds. Therefore, the growth supernatant of M. caseolyticus and A. calcoaceticus can be applied in gold bioleaching under neutral pH conditions, which is considered to be a safe, not corrosive, and environmentally friendly leaching process. This study is also needed further study in order to increase the percentage of gold bioleaching and decrease times.
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16
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Maluckov BS. Biorecovery of nanogold and nanogold compounds from gold-containing ores and industrial wastes. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:3471-3484. [PMID: 33880600 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11277-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In nature, microorganisms developed at various places and adapted to the various weather and geological conditions. Microorganisms participate in geological transformations leading to the dissolution of some minerals and conversion to others. While some microorganisms with their metabolic activity increase the mobility of metals, others cause precipitation of metals and the formation of new minerals. These biogeochemical interactions found practical application in the recovery of metals. In the article, the proposals for improvement of existing engineering commercial processes for recovery of metals are given which can enable the formation of nanogold and nanogold compounds.Key points• Amino acids in pretreatment can increase the dissolution of the layer around the gold.• Amino acids in the complexing stage can increase gold leaching.• After the complexing stage, the bionanosynthesis of gold and its compounds is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biljana S Maluckov
- Technical Faculty in Bor, University of Belgrade, Vojske Jugoslavije 12, Bor, 19210, Serbia.
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17
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Hamida RS, Ali MA, Abdelmeguid NE, Al-Zaban MI, Baz L, Bin-Meferij MM. Lichens-A Potential Source for Nanoparticles Fabrication: A Review on Nanoparticles Biosynthesis and Their Prospective Applications. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:291. [PMID: 33921411 PMCID: PMC8069866 DOI: 10.3390/jof7040291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is a safe, eco-friendly, and relatively inexpensive alternative to conventional routes of NPs production. These methods require natural resources such as cyanobacteria, algae, plants, fungi, lichens, and naturally extracted biomolecules such as pigments, vitamins, polysaccharides, proteins, and enzymes to reduce bulk materials (the target metal salts) into a nanoscale product. Synthesis of nanomaterials (NMs) using lichen extracts is a promising eco-friendly, simple, low-cost biological synthesis process. Lichens are groups of organisms including multiple types of fungi and algae that live in symbiosis. Until now, the fabrication of NPs using lichens has remained largely unexplored, although the role of lichens as natural factories for synthesizing NPs has been reported. Lichens have a potential reducible activity to fabricate different types of NMs, including metal and metal oxide NPs and bimetallic alloys and nanocomposites. These NPs exhibit promising catalytic and antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. To the best of our knowledge, this review provides, for the first time, an overview of the main published studies concerning the use of lichen for nanofabrication and the applications of these NMs in different sectors. Moreover, the possible mechanisms of biosynthesis are discussed, together with the various optimization factors influencing the biological synthesis and toxicity of NPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reham Samir Hamida
- Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21500, Egypt; (R.S.H.); (N.E.A.)
| | - Mohamed Abdelaal Ali
- Biotechnology Unit, Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11543, Saudi Arabia;
- Plant Production Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
| | - Nabila Elsayed Abdelmeguid
- Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21500, Egypt; (R.S.H.); (N.E.A.)
| | - Mayasar Ibrahim Al-Zaban
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11543, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Lina Baz
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mashael Mohammed Bin-Meferij
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11543, Saudi Arabia;
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18
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Abstract
Native gold and its satellite minerals were studied throughout the 300 m section of oxidized ores of the Olympiada deposit (Eastern Siberia, Russia). Three zones are identified in the studied section: Upper Zone ~60 g/t Au; Middle Zone ~3 g/t Au; Lower Zone ~20 g/t Au. Supergene and hypogene native gold have been found in these zones. Supergene gold crystals (~1 μm), their aggregates and their globules (100 nm to 1 μm) predominate in the Upper and less in Middle Zone. Relic hypogene gold particles (flattened, fracture and irregular morphology) are sporadically distributed throughout the section. Spongiform gold occurs in the Lower Zone at the boundary with the bedrock, as well as in the bedrock. This gold formed in the process of oxidation of aurostibite, leaching of impurities and its further dissolution. Hypogene gold is commonly isolated but for supergene gold typically associated with ferric (hydr)oxides. New formation of gold occurred due to oxidation of sulfide ores and release of “invisible” gold, as well as dissolution, mobilization and re-deposition of metallic hypogene gold. A model for the formation of oxidized ores with the participation of meteoric and low-temperature hydrothermal waters has been proposed.
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19
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Patel A, Enman J, Gulkova A, Guntoro PI, Dutkiewicz A, Ghorbani Y, Rova U, Christakopoulos P, Matsakas L. Integrating biometallurgical recovery of metals with biogenic synthesis of nanoparticles. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 263:128306. [PMID: 33297243 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Industrial activities, such as mining, electroplating, cement production, and metallurgical operations, as well as manufacturing of plastics, fertilizers, pesticides, batteries, dyes or anticorrosive agents, can cause metal contamination in the surrounding environment. This is an acute problem due to the non-biodegradable nature of metal pollutants, their transformation into toxic and carcinogenic compounds, and bioaccumulation through the food chain. At the same time, platinum group metals and rare earth elements are of strong economic interest and their recovery is incentivized. Microbial interaction with metals or metals-bearing minerals can facilitate metals recovery in the form of nanoparticles. Metal nanoparticles are gaining increasing attention due to their unique characteristics and application as antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents, biocatalysts, in targeted drug delivery, for wastewater treatment, and in water electrolysis. Ideally, metal nanoparticles should be homogenous in shape and size, and not toxic to humans or the environment. Microbial synthesis of nanoparticles represents a safe, and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical and physical methods. In this review article, we mainly focus on metal and metal salts nanoparticles synthesized by various microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, microalgae, and yeasts, as well as their advantages in biomedical, health, and environmental applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok Patel
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Josefine Enman
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | | | - Pratama Istiadi Guntoro
- Mineral Processing, Division of Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Agata Dutkiewicz
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Yousef Ghorbani
- Mineral Processing, Division of Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Ulrika Rova
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Paul Christakopoulos
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden
| | - Leonidas Matsakas
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87, Luleå, Sweden.
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20
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Fungal Tolerance: An Alternative for the Selection of Fungi with Potential for the Biological Recovery of Precious Metals. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10228096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The behavior of various filamentous fungi in the presence of metals such as Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, Mn, and V has been widely reported. However, there is little information regarding metals such as Au, Ag and Pt that are not in the form of nanoparticles. The growth of eight filamentous fungi was evaluated at increasing doses of Au, Ag and Pt. The fungi were reactivated in Petri dishes with potato dextrose agar. Subsequently, individual mycelial disks from each strain were inoculated in PDA plates with the following doses of AuCl3, Ag2SO4 and PtCl4: 0, 50, 150 and 300 mg L−1, respectively. The plates were then incubated for 20 days—a period in which the diameter of the colony was measured every 24 h. Au showed the highest toxicity for the tested fungi. All silver doses decreased the growth of most of the fungi, while platinum did not cause any inhibitory effect on the growth of the eight tested fungi. With a simple test, it was possible to observe the effect of precious metals (PMs) on the growth of filamentous fungi and consider their possible biotechnological applications in the recovery of PMs from primary or secondary sources.
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21
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Sanyal SK, Brugger J, Etschmann B, Pederson SM, Delport PWJ, Dixon R, Tearle R, Ludington A, Reith F, Shuster J. Metal resistant bacteria on gold particles: Implications of how anthropogenic contaminants could affect natural gold biogeochemical cycling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 727:138698. [PMID: 32330727 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In Earth's near-surface environments, gold biogeochemical cycling involves gold dissolution and precipitation processes, which are partly attributed to bacteria. These biogeochemical processes as well as abrasion (via physical transport) are known to act upon gold particles, thereby resulting in particle transformation including the development of pure secondary gold and altered morphology, respectively. While previous studies have inferred gold biogeochemical cycling from gold particles obtained from natural environments, little is known about how metal contamination in an environment could impact this cycle. Therefore, this study aims to infer how potentially toxic metal contaminants could affect the structure and chemistry of gold particles and therefore the biogeochemical cycling of gold. In doing so, river sediments and gold particles from the De Kaap Valley, South Africa, were analysed using both microanalytical and molecular techniques. Of the metal contaminants detected in the sediment, mercury can chemically interact with gold particles thereby directly altering particle morphology and "erasing" textural evidence indicative of particle transformation. Other metal contaminants (including mercury) indirectly affect gold cycling by exerting a selective pressure on bacteria living on the surface of gold particles. Particles harbouring gold-tolerant bacteria with diverse metal resistant genes, such as Arthrobacter sp. and Pseudomonas sp., contained nearly two times more secondary gold relative to particles harbouring bacteria with less gold-tolerance. In conclusion, metal contaminants can have a direct or indirect effect on gold biogeochemical cycling in natural environments impacted by anthropogenic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santonu Kumar Sanyal
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Joël Brugger
- Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | | | - Stephen M Pederson
- Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | | | - Roger Dixon
- University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Rick Tearle
- Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; Davies Research Centre, School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Alastair Ludington
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Frank Reith
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Jeremiah Shuster
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia; CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia.
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22
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Riley NG, Goller CC, Leggett ZH, Lewis DM, Ciccone K, Dunn RR. Catalyzing rapid discovery of gold-precipitating bacterial lineages with university students. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8925. [PMID: 32322441 PMCID: PMC7164421 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8925] [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: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Intriguing and potentially commercially useful microorganisms are found in our surroundings and new tools allow us to learn about their genetic potential and evolutionary history. Engaging students from different disciplines and courses in the search for microbes requires an exciting project with innovative but straightforward procedures and goals. Here we describe an interdisciplinary program to engage students from different courses in the sampling, identification and analysis of the DNA sequences of a unique yet common microbe, Delftia spp. A campus-wide challenge was created to identify the prevalence of this genus, able to precipitate gold, involving introductory level environmental and life science courses, upper-level advanced laboratory modules taken by undergraduate students (juniors and seniors), graduate students and staff from the campus. The number of participants involved allowed for extensive sampling while undergraduate researchers and students in lab-based courses participated in the sample processing and analyses, helping contextualize and solidify their learning of the molecular biology techniques. The results were shared at each step through publicly accessible websites and workshops. This model allows for the rapid discovery of Delftia presence and prevalence and is adaptable to different campuses and experimental questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah G Riley
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Carlos C Goller
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.,Biotechnology Program (BIT), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Zakiya H Leggett
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Danica M Lewis
- North Carolina State University Libraries, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Karen Ciccone
- North Carolina State University Libraries, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Robert R Dunn
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.,University of Copenhagen, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany
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23
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Rana S, Mishra P, Wahid ZA, Thakur S, Pant D, Singh L. Microbe-mediated sustainable bio-recovery of gold from low-grade precious solid waste: A microbiological overview. J Environ Sci (China) 2020; 89:47-64. [PMID: 31892401 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2019.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In an era of electronics, recovering the precious metal such as gold from ever increasing piles of electronic-wastes and metal-ion infested soil has become one of the prime concerns for researchers worldwide. Biological mining is an attractive, economical and non-hazardous to recover gold from the low-grade auriferous ore containing waste or soil. This review represents the recent major biological gold retrieval methods used to bio-mine gold. The biomining methods discussed in this review include, bioleaching, bio-oxidation, bio-precipitation, bio-flotation, bio-flocculation, bio-sorption, bio-reduction, bio-electrometallurgical technologies and bioaccumulation. The mechanism of gold biorecovery by microbes is explained in detail to explore its intracellular mechanistic, which help it withstand high concentrations of gold without causing any fatal consequences. Major challenges and future opportunities associated with each method and how they will dictate the fate of gold bio-metallurgy from metal wastes or metal infested soil bioremediation in the coming future are also discussed. With the help of concurrent advancements in high-throughput technologies, the gold bio-exploratory methods will speed up our ways to ensure maximum gold retrieval out of such low-grade ores containing sources, while keeping the gold mining clean and more sustainable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriyanka Rana
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Puranjan Mishra
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Zularisam Ab Wahid
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia; Earth Resources and Sustainability Center (EARS), Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
| | - Sveta Thakur
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Deepak Pant
- Separation and Conversion Technology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, Mol, 2400, Belgium
| | - Lakhveer Singh
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia; Earth Resources and Sustainability Center (EARS), Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.
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24
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Mazhar SH, Herzberg M, Ben Fekih I, Zhang C, Bello SK, Li YP, Su J, Xu J, Feng R, Zhou S, Rensing C. Comparative Insights Into the Complete Genome Sequence of Highly Metal Resistant Cupriavidus metallidurans Strain BS1 Isolated From a Gold-Copper Mine. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:47. [PMID: 32117100 PMCID: PMC7019866 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The highly heavy metal resistant strain Cupriavidus metallidurans BS1 was isolated from the Zijin gold–copper mine in China. This was of particular interest since the extensively studied, closely related strain, C. metallidurans CH34 was shown to not be only highly heavy metal resistant but also able to reduce metal complexes and biomineralizing them into metallic nanoparticles including gold nanoparticles. After isolation, C. metallidurans BS1 was characterized and complete genome sequenced using PacBio and compared to CH34. Many heavy metal resistance determinants were identified and shown to have wide-ranging similarities to those of CH34. However, both BS1 and CH34 displayed extensive genome plasticity, probably responsible for significant differences between those strains. BS1 was shown to contain three prophages, not present in CH34, that appear intact and might be responsible for shifting major heavy metal resistance determinants from plasmid to chromid (CHR2) in C. metallidurans BS1. Surprisingly, the single plasmid – pBS1 (364.4 kbp) of BS1 contains only a single heavy metal resistance determinant, the czc determinant representing RND-type efflux system conferring resistance to cobalt, zinc and cadmium, shown here to be highly similar to that determinant located on pMOL30 in C. metallidurans CH34. However, in BS1 another homologous czc determinant was identified on the chromid, most similar to the czc determinant from pMOL30 in CH34. Other heavy metal resistance determinants such as cnr and chr determinants, located on megaplasmid pMOL28 in CH34, were shown to be adjacent to the czc determinant on chromid (CHR2) in BS1. Additionally, other heavy metal resistance determinants such as pbr, cop, sil, and ars were located on the chromid (CHR2) and not on pBS1 in BS1. A diverse range of genomic rearrangements occurred in this strain, isolated from a habitat of constant exposure to high concentrations of copper, gold and other heavy metals. In contrast, the megaplasmid in BS1 contains mostly genes encoding unknown functions, thus might be more of an evolutionary playground where useful genes could be acquired by horizontal gene transfer and possibly reshuffled to help C. metallidurans BS1 withstand the intense pressure of extreme concentrations of heavy metals in its environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohaib H Mazhar
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Martin Herzberg
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ibtissem Ben Fekih
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chenkang Zhang
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Suleiman Kehinde Bello
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuan Ping Li
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Junming Su
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Junqiang Xu
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Renwei Feng
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shungui Zhou
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.,Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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25
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Reith F, Falconer DM, Van Nostrand J, Craw D, Shuster J, Wakelin S. Functional capabilities of bacterial biofilms on gold particles. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 96:5663612. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Gold particles contain gold and other toxic, heavy metals, making them ‘extreme’ geochemical microenvironments. To date, the functional capabilities of bacterial biofilms to deal with these conditions have been inferred from taxonomic analyses. The aims of this study are to evaluate the functional capabilities of bacterial communities on gold particles from six key locations using GeoChip 5.0 and to link functional and taxonomic data. Biofilm communities displayed a wide range of functional capabilities, with up to 53 505 gene probes detected. The capability of bacterial communities to (re)cycle carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur were detected. The cycling of major nutrients is important for maintaining the biofilm community as well as enabling the biogeochemical cycling and mobilisation of heavy and noble metals. Additionally, a multitude of stress- and heavy metal resistance capabilities were also detected, most notably from the α/β/γ-Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. The multi-copper-oxidase gene copA, which is directly involved in gold resistance and biomineralisation, was the 15th most intense response and was detected in 246 genera. The Parker Road and Belle Brooke sites were consistently the most different from other sites, which may be a result of local physicochemical conditions (extreme nutrient poverty and sulphur-richness, respectively). In conclusion, biofilms on gold particles display wide-ranging metabolic and stress-related capabilities, which may enable them to survive in these niche environments and drive biotransformation of gold particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Reith
- The University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Donna M Falconer
- University of Otago, Geology Department, North Dunedin, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Joy Van Nostrand
- University of Oklahoma, Institute for Environmental Genomics and Microbiology and Plant Biology, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - David Craw
- University of Otago, Geology Department, North Dunedin, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Jeremiah Shuster
- The University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Steven Wakelin
- Scion, PO Box 29237, Riccarton, Christchurch 8440, New Zealand
- BioProtection Research Centre, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University, Canterbury 7647, New Zealand
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Hoque E, Fritscher J. Multimetal bioremediation and biomining by a combination of new aquatic strains of Mucor hiemalis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10318. [PMID: 31311950 PMCID: PMC6635518 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46560-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we describe a unique microbial biotechnology for simultaneous bioremediation and biomining of twelve ionic metals overcoming the obstacles of multimetal toxicity to microbes. After a thorough search of key microorganisms in microbiomes of many sulfidic springs in Bavaria (Germany) over an area of 200 km2, we found three new strains EH8, EH10 and EH11 of Mucor hiemalis physiologically compatible and capable of multimetal-remediation and enrichment. We combined the multimetal-resistance, hyper-accumulation and elicitation power of EH8, EH10 and EH11 to develop a novel biotechnology for simultaneous removal, fractionation and enrichment of metal ions. As a first step we showed the intracellular fixing and deposition of mercury as nanospheres in EH8's sporangiospores. Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy-Dispersive X-Ray analysis revealed binding and precipitation of other applied metal ions as spherical nano-particles (~50-100 nm) at the outer electro-negative cellwall-surface of EH8, EH10 and EH11 sporangiospores. Microbiomes, germinated spores and dead insoluble cellwalls of these strains removed >81-99% of applied Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, U, and Zn simultaneously and furthermore enriched precious Ag, Au and Ti from water all within 48 h, demonstrating the potential of new biotechnologies for safe-guarding our environment from metal pollution and concentrating precious diluted, ionic metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enamul Hoque
- Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Groundwater Ecology, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Johannes Fritscher
- Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Groundwater Ecology, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
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27
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Sanyal SK, Shuster J, Reith F. Biogeochemical gold cycling selects metal-resistant bacteria that promote gold particle transformation. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 95:5499019. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Santonu Kumar Sanyal
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences,The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, South Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond 5064, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jeremiah Shuster
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences,The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, South Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond 5064, South Australia, Australia
| | - Frank Reith
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences,The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, South Australia, Australia
- CSIRO Land and Water, Environmental Contaminant Mitigation and Technologies, PMB2, Glen Osmond 5064, South Australia, Australia
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28
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Bohu T, Anand R, Noble R, Lintern M, Kaksonen AH, Mei Y, Cheng KY, Deng X, Veder JP, Bunce M, Power M, Verrall M. Evidence for fungi and gold redox interaction under Earth surface conditions. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2290. [PMID: 31123249 PMCID: PMC6533363 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10006-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial contribution to gold biogeochemical cycling has been proposed. However, studies have focused primarily on the influence of prokaryotes on gold reduction and precipitation through a detoxification-oriented mechanism. Here we show, fungi, a major driver of mineral bioweathering, can initiate gold oxidation under Earth surface conditions, which is of significance for dissolved gold species formation and distribution. Presence of the gold-oxidizing fungus TA_pink1, an isolate of Fusarium oxysporum, suggests fungi have the potential to substantially impact gold biogeochemical cycling. Our data further reveal that indigenous fungal diversity positively correlates with in situ gold concentrations. Hypocreales, the order of the gold-oxidizing fungus, show the highest centrality in the fungal microbiome of the auriferous environment. Therefore, we argue that the redox interaction between fungi and gold is critical and should be considered in gold biogeochemical cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsing Bohu
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australian Resources and Research Centre, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia.
| | - Ravi Anand
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australian Resources and Research Centre, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - Ryan Noble
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australian Resources and Research Centre, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - Mel Lintern
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australian Resources and Research Centre, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - Anna H Kaksonen
- CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag No.5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Yuan Mei
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australian Resources and Research Centre, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
| | - Ka Yu Cheng
- CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag No.5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Xiao Deng
- CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag No.5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia
| | - Jean-Pierre Veder
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Matthew Power
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Mike Verrall
- CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australian Resources and Research Centre, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia
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Consideration of Influential Factors on Bioleaching of Gold Ore Using Iodide-Oxidizing Bacteria. MINERALS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/min9050274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Iodide-oxidizing bacteria (IOB) oxidize iodide into iodine and triiodide which can be utilized for gold dissolution. IOB can be therefore useful for gold leaching. This study examined the impact of incubation conditions such as concentration of the nutrient and iodide, initial bacterial cell number, incubation temperature, and shaking condition on the performance of the gold dissolution through the experiments incubating IOB in the culture medium containing the marine broth, potassium iodide and gold ore. The minimum necessary concentration of marine broth and potassium iodide for the complete gold dissolution were determined to be 18.7 g/L and 10.9 g/L respectively. The initial bacterial cell number had no effect on gold dissolution when it was 1 × 104 cells/mL or higher. Gold leaching with IOB should be operated under a temperature range of 30–35 °C, which was the optimal temperature range for IOB. The bacterial growth rate under shaking conditions was three times faster than that under static conditions. Shaking incubation effectively shortened the contact time compared to the static incubation. According to the pH and redox potential of the culture solution, the stable gold complex in the culture solution of this study could be designated as gold (I) diiodide.
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30
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Li J, Webster TJ, Tian B. Functionalized Nanomaterial Assembling and Biosynthesis Using the Extremophile Deinococcus radiodurans for Multifunctional Applications. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2019; 15:e1900600. [PMID: 30925017 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201900600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The development of functionalized nanomaterial biosynthesis processes is important to expand many cutting-edge nanomaterial application areas. However, unclear synthesis mechanisms and low synthesis efficiency under various chemical stresses have limited the use of these biomaterials. Deinococcus radiodurans is an extreme bacterium well known for its exceptional resistance to radiation oxidants and electrophilic agents. This extremophile, which possesses a spontaneous self-assembled surface-layer (S-layer), has been an optimal model organism to study microbial nanomaterial biotemplates and biosynthesis under various stresses. This review summarizes the S-layers from D. radiodurans as an excellent biotemplate for various pre-synthesized nanomaterials and multiple applications, and highlights recent progresses about the biosynthesis of functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), as well as gold and silver bimetallic nanoparticles using D. radiodurans. Their formation mechanisms, properties, and applications are discussed and summarized to provide significant insights into the design or modification of functionalized nanomaterials via natural materials. Grand challenges and future directions to realize the multifunctional applications of these nanomaterials are highlighted for a better understanding of their biosynthesis mechanisms and functionalized modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiulong Li
- Key Laboratory for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 313 Snell Engineering Center, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Thomas J Webster
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 313 Snell Engineering Center, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bing Tian
- Key Laboratory for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Key Laboratory for Green Processing of Chemical Engineering of Xinjiang Bingtuan, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China
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31
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Khaing SY, Sugai Y, Sasaki K. Gold Dissolution from Ore with Iodide-Oxidising Bacteria. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4178. [PMID: 30862917 PMCID: PMC6414546 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41004-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Gold leaching from ore using iodide-iodine mixtures is an alternative to gold cyanidation. This study evaluated the ability of iodide-oxidising bacteria to solubilise gold from ore that was mainly composed of gold, pyrite, galena, and chalcopyrite. Eight bacterial strains were successfully isolated from brine. Those strains were incubated in a liquid culture medium containing ore with a gold content of 0.26 wt.% and pulp density of 3.3 w/v% to evaluate their abilities to mediate the dissolution of gold. The gold was solubilised completely within 30 days of incubation in the iodine-iodide lixiviant solution generated by three bacterial strains. One strain, in particular, completed the dissolution of gold within 5 days of incubation and was identified as a member of the genus Roseovarius. Thus, the possibility of bacterial gold leaching using iodide-oxidising bacteria was successfully demonstrated. Bioleaching gold with iodide would likely be more environmentally sustainable than traditional cyanide leaching. Further research is required to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- San Yee Khaing
- Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 8190395, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuichi Sugai
- Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 8190395, Fukuoka, Japan.
| | - Kyuro Sasaki
- Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 8190395, Fukuoka, Japan
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32
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Zhou Y, Huang L, Ji S, Hou S, Luo L, Li C, Liu M, Liu Y, Jiang L. Structural Basis for the Inhibition of the Autophosphorylation Activity of HK853 by Luteolin. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24050933. [PMID: 30866470 PMCID: PMC6429454 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24050933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The two-component system (TCS) is a significant signal transduction system for bacteria to adapt to complicated and variable environments, and thus has recently been regarded as a novel target for developing antibacterial agents. The natural product luteolin (Lut) can inhibit the autophosphorylation activity of the typical histidine kinase (HK) HK853 from Thermotoga maritime, but the inhibition mechanism is not known. Herein, we report on the binding mechanism of a typical flavone with HK853 by using solution NMR spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and molecular docking. We show that luteolin inhibits the activity of HK853 by occupying the binding pocket of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) through hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interaction structurally. Our results reveal a detailed mechanism for the inhibition of flavones and observe the conformational and dynamics changes of HK. These results should provide a feasible approach for antibacterial agent design from the view of the histidine kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
- Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Liqun Huang
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
- Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Shixia Ji
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
- Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Shi Hou
- Laboratory of Computer-Aided Drug Design and Discovery, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China.
| | - Liang Luo
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
- Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Conggang Li
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Maili Liu
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Yixiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Ling Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center of Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
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33
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McGivney E, Gao X, Liu Y, Lowry GV, Casman E, Gregory KB, VanBriesen JM, Avellan A. Biogenic Cyanide Production Promotes Dissolution of Gold Nanoparticles in Soil. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:1287-1295. [PMID: 30590926 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are often used to study the physiochemical behavior and distribution of nanomaterials in natural systems because they are assumed to be inert under environmental conditions, even though Au can be oxidized and dissolved by a common environmental compound: cyanide. We used the cyanogenic soil bacterium, Chromobacterium violaceum, to demonstrate that quorum-sensing-regulated cyanide production could lead to a high rate of oxidative dissolution of Au NPs in soil. After 7 days of incubation in a pH 7.0 soil inoculated with C. violaceum, labile Au concentration increased from 0 to 15%. There was no observable dissolution when Au NPs were incubated in abiotic soil. In the same soil adjusted to pH 7.5, labile Au concentration increased up to 29% over the same time frame. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Au dissolution required quorum-sensing-regulated cyanide production in soil by inoculating the soil with different cell densities and using a quorum-sensing-deficient mutant of C. violaceum, CV026. Au NP dissolution experiments in liquid media coupled with mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that biogenic cyanide oxidized Au NPs to soluble Au(CN)2-. These results demonstrate under which conditions biologically enhanced metal dissolution can contribute to the overall geochemical transformation kinetics of nanoparticle in soils, even though the materials may be inert in abiotic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric McGivney
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Xiaoyu Gao
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Yijing Liu
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Gregory V Lowry
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Elizabeth Casman
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Kelvin B Gregory
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Jeanne M VanBriesen
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Astrid Avellan
- Civil and Environmental Engineering , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
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34
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Ulloa R, Moya-Beltrán A, Rojas-Villalobos C, Nuñez H, Chiacchiarini P, Donati E, Giaveno A, Quatrini R. Domestication of Local Microbial Consortia for Efficient Recovery of Gold Through Top-Down Selection in Airlift Bioreactors. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:60. [PMID: 30761108 PMCID: PMC6363673 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Extreme acidophiles play central roles in the geochemical cycling of diverse elements in low pH environments. This has been harnessed in biotechnologies such as biomining, where microorganisms facilitate the recovery of economically important metals such as gold. By generating both extreme acidity and a chemical oxidant (ferric iron) many species of prokaryotes that thrive in low pH environments not only catalyze mineral dissolution but also trigger both community and individual level adaptive changes. These changes vary in extent and direction depending on the ore mineralogy, water availability and local climate. The use of indigenous versus introduced microbial consortia in biomining practices is still a matter of debate. Yet, indigenous microbial consortia colonizing sulfidic ores that have been domesticated, i.e., selected for their ability to survive under specific polyextreme conditions, are claimed to outperform un-adapted foreign consortia. Despite this, little is known on the domestication of acidic microbial communities and the changes elicited in their members. In this study, high resolution targeted metagenomic techniques were used to analyze the changes occurring in the community structure of local microbial consortia acclimated to growing under extreme acidic conditions and adapted to endure the conditions imposed by the target mineral during biooxidation of a gold concentrate in an airlift reactor over a period of 2 years. The results indicated that operative conditions evolving through biooxidation of the mineral concentrate exerted strong selective pressures that, early on, purge biodiversity in favor of a few Acidithiobacillus spp. over other iron oxidizing acidophiles. Metagenomic analysis of the domesticated consortium present at the end of the adaptation experiment enabled reconstruction of the RVS1-MAG, a novel representative of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans from the Andacollo gold mineral district. Comparative genomic analysis performed with this genome draft revealed a net enrichment of gene functions related to heavy metal transport and stress management that are likely to play a significant role in adaptation and survival to adverse conditions experienced by these acidophiles during growth in presence of gold concentrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Ulloa
- PROBIEN (CCT Comahue-CONICET, UNCo), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina
| | - Ana Moya-Beltrán
- Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory, Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Santiago, Chile
- Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Harold Nuñez
- Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory, Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricia Chiacchiarini
- PROBIEN (CCT Comahue-CONICET, UNCo), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina
| | - Edgardo Donati
- CINDEFI-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Alejandra Giaveno
- PROBIEN (CCT Comahue-CONICET, UNCo), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina
| | - Raquel Quatrini
- Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory, Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago, Chile
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35
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Mobile Forms of Gold and Pathfinder Elements in Surface Sediments at the Novye Peski Gold Deposit and in the Piilola Prospecting Area (Karelia Region). MINERALS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/min9010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The success of prospecting for gold deposit in overburdened areas based on the using of secondary dispersion haloes mostly depends on the chosen method of geochemical survey (sampling horizon, sample preparation for analysis, etc.). At the same time, the geochemistry of gold in the supergene zone is insufficiently studied, especially it’s migration and concentration in association with other elements in surface sediments due to weathering of gold-bearing ore. The main aim of the study presented in this paper is the determination of mobile forms of gold and pathfinder elements (As, Cu, Ni, Ag, Zn, Pb, Se, Sb, Mo, Bi, and Te) in podzol soil and moraine in the areas of Karelia region with known gold mineralization. As a result of conducted experiments it was determined that the main mobile forms of gold are water-soluble and bound to organic matter, while pathfinder elements bound preferably to Fe and Mn(hydr)oxides and to organic matter. As gold and some pathfinders bind with organic matter, this form was considered in more detail, and the elements’ interaction with humic and fulvic acids was investigated. In addition, it was determined that the studied elements are quite “mobile” because the percentage of the mobile form in their total content was mostly more than 50%. The main features of the elements’ migration and concentration were identified in surface sediments of the study areas.
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36
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Avellan A, Simonin M, McGivney E, Bossa N, Spielman-Sun E, Rocca JD, Bernhardt ES, Geitner NK, Unrine JM, Wiesner MR, Lowry GV. Gold nanoparticle biodissolution by a freshwater macrophyte and its associated microbiome. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 13:1072-1077. [PMID: 30104621 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-018-0231-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Predicting nanoparticle fate in aquatic environments requires mimicking of ecosystem complexity to observe the geochemical processes affecting their behaviour. Here, 12 nm Au nanoparticles were added weekly to large-scale freshwater wetland mesocosms. After six months, ~70% of Au was associated with the macrophyte Egeria densa, where, despite the thermodynamic stability of Au0 in water, the pristine Au0 nanoparticles were fully oxidized and complexed to cyanide, hydroxyls or thiol ligands. Extracted biofilms growing on E. densa leaves were shown to dissolve Au nanoparticles within days. The Au biodissolution rate was highest for the biofilm with the lowest prevalence of metal-resistant taxa but the highest ability to release cyanide, known to promote Au0 oxidation and complexation. Macrophytes and the associated microbiome thus form a biologically active system that can be a major sink for nanoparticle accumulation and transformations. Nanoparticle biotransformation in these compartments should not be ignored, even for nanoparticles commonly considered to be stable in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Avellan
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Marie Simonin
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Eric McGivney
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nathan Bossa
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Civil & Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Eleanor Spielman-Sun
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Emily S Bernhardt
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nicholas K Geitner
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Civil & Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jason M Unrine
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Mark R Wiesner
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA
- Civil & Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gregory V Lowry
- Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Reflecting on Gold Geomicrobiology Research: Thoughts and Considerations for Future Endeavors. MINERALS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/min8090401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Research in gold (Au) geomicrobiology has developed extensively over the last ten years, as more Au-bearing materials from around the world point towards a consistent story: That microbes interact with Au. In weathering environments, Au is mobile, taking the form of oxidized, soluble complexes or reduced, elemental Au nanoparticles. The transition of Au between aqueous and solid states is attributed to varying geochemical conditions, catalyzed in part by the biosphere. Hence, a global Au-biogeochemical-cycle was proposed. The primary focus of this mini-review is to reflect upon the biogeochemical processes that contribute to what we currently know about Au cycling. In general, the global Au-biogeochemical-cycle begins with the liberation of gold-silver particles from a primary host rock, by physical weathering. Through oxidative-complexation, inorganic and organic soluble-Au complexes are produced. However, in the presence of microbes or other reductants—e.g., clays and Fe-oxides—these Au complexes can be destabilized. The reduction of soluble Au ultimately leads to the bioprecipitation and biomineralization of Au, the product of which can aggregate into larger structures, thereby completing the Au cycle. Evidence of these processes have been “recorded” in the preservation of secondary Au structures that have been observed on Au particles from around the world. These structures—i.e., nanometer-size to micrometer-size Au dissolution and reprecipitation features—are “snap shots” of biogeochemical influences on Au, during its journey in Earth-surface environments. Therefore, microbes can have a profound effect on the occurrence of Au in natural environments, given the nutrients necessary for microbial metabolism are sustained and Au is in the system.
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The Golden Activity of Lysinibacillus sphaericus: New Insights on Gold Accumulation and Possible Nanoparticles Biosynthesis. MATERIALS 2018; 11:ma11091587. [PMID: 30200519 PMCID: PMC6163967 DOI: 10.3390/ma11091587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Power struggles surrounding the increasing economic development of gold mining give rise to severe environmental and social problems. Two new strains of Lysinibacillus sphaericus were isolated from an area of active alluvial gold mining exploitation at El Bagre, Antioquia. The absorption capacity of these strains and some of the L. sphaericus Microbiological Research Center (CIMIC) collection (CBAM5, OT4b.31, III(3)7) were evaluated by spectrophotometry according to a calibration gold curve of HAuCl4− with concentrations between 0 µg/mL and 100 µg/mL. Bioassays with living biomass were carried out with an initial gold concentration of 60 µg/mL. Their sorption capacity was evident, reaching percentages of gold removal between 25% and 85% in the first 2 h and 75% to 95% after 48 h. Biosynthesis of possible gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in assays with living biomass was also observed. Metal sorption was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The sorption and fabrication capacity exhibited by the evaluated strains of L. sphaericus converts this microorganism into a potential alternative for biomining processes, especially those related to gold extraction.
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Progressive biogeochemical transformation of placer gold particles drives compositional changes in associated biofilm communities. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2018; 94:4992300. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Biological and Geochemical Development of Placer Gold Deposits at Rich Hill, Arizona, USA. MINERALS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/min8020056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Bütof L, Wiesemann N, Herzberg M, Altzschner M, Holleitner A, Reith F, Nies DH. Synergistic gold–copper detoxification at the core of gold biomineralisation inCupriavidus metallidurans. Metallomics 2018; 10:278-286. [DOI: 10.1039/c7mt00312a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cupriavidus metalliduransescapes synergistic Cu/Au toxicity by re-oxidation of Au(i) back to Au(iii) using the periplasmic oxidase CopA.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Bütof
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
- 06120 Halle (Saale)
- Germany
| | - N. Wiesemann
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
- 06120 Halle (Saale)
- Germany
| | - M. Herzberg
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
- 06120 Halle (Saale)
- Germany
| | - M. Altzschner
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department
- Technical University Munich
- Garching
- Germany
| | - A. Holleitner
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department
- Technical University Munich
- Garching
- Germany
| | - F. Reith
- The University of Adelaide
- School of Biological Sciences
- Adelaide
- Australia
| | - D. H. Nies
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
- 06120 Halle (Saale)
- Germany
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Synergistic Toxicity of Copper and Gold Compounds in Cupriavidus metallidurans. Appl Environ Microbiol 2017; 83:AEM.01679-17. [PMID: 28939602 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01679-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans can reduce toxic gold(I/III) complexes and biomineralize them into metallic gold (Au) nanoparticles, thereby mediating the (trans)formation of Au nuggets. In Au-rich soils, most transition metals do not interfere with the resistance of this bacterium to toxic mobile Au complexes and can be removed from the cell by plasmid-encoded metal efflux systems. Copper is a noticeable exception: the presence of Au complexes and Cu ions results in synergistic toxicity, which is accompanied by an increased cytoplasmic Cu content and formation of Au nanoparticles in the periplasm. The periplasmic Cu-oxidase CopA was not essential for formation of the periplasmic Au nanoparticles. As shown with the purified and reconstituted Cu efflux system CupA, Au complexes block Cu-dependent release of phosphate from ATP by CupA, indicating inhibition of Cu transport. Moreover, Cu resistance of Au-inhibited cells was similar to that of mutants carrying deletions in the genes for the Cu-exporting PIB1-type ATPases. Consequently, Au complexes inhibit export of cytoplasmic Cu ions, leading to an increased cellular Cu content and decreased Cu and Au resistance. Uncovering the biochemical mechanisms of synergistic Au and Cu toxicity in C. metallidurans explains the issues this bacterium has to face in auriferous environments, where it is an important contributor to the environmental Au cycle.IMPORTANCE C. metallidurans lives in metal-rich environments, including auriferous soils that contain a mixture of toxic transition metal cations. We demonstrate here that copper ions and gold complexes exert synergistic toxicity because gold ions inhibit the copper-exporting P-type ATPase CupA, which is central to copper resistance in this bacterium. Such a situation should occur in soils overlying Au deposits, in which Cu/Au ratios usually are ≫1. Appreciating how C. metallidurans solves the problem of living in environments that contain both Au and Cu is a prerequisite to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying gold cycling in the environment, and the significance and opportunities of microbiota for specific targeting to Au in mineral exploration and ore processing.
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Nies DH. The biological chemistry of the transition metal "transportome" of Cupriavidus metallidurans. Metallomics 2017; 8:481-507. [PMID: 27065183 DOI: 10.1039/c5mt00320b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This review tries to illuminate how the bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is able to allocate essential transition metal cations to their target proteins although these metals have similar charge-to-surface ratios and chemical features, exert toxic effects, compete with each other, and occur in the bacterial environment over a huge range of concentrations and speciations. Central to this ability is the "transportome", the totality of all interacting metal import and export systems, which, as an emergent feature, transforms the environmental metal content and speciation into the cellular metal mélange. In a kinetic flow equilibrium resulting from controlled uptake and efflux reactions, the periplasmic and cytoplasmic metal content is adjusted in a way that minimizes toxic effects. A central core function of the transportome is to shape the metal ion composition using high-rate and low-specificity reactions to avoid time and/or energy-requiring metal discrimination reactions. This core is augmented by metal-specific channels that may even deliver metals all the way from outside of the cell to the cytoplasm. This review begins with a description of the basic chemical features of transition metal cations and the biochemical consequences of these attributes, and which transition metals are available to C. metallidurans. It then illustrates how the environment influences the metal content and speciation, and how the transportome adjusts this metal content. It concludes with an outlook on the fate of metals in the cytoplasm. By generalization, insights coming from C. metallidurans shed light on multiple transition metal homoeostatic mechanisms in all kinds of bacteria including pathogenic species, where the "battle" for metals is an important part of the host-pathogen interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietrich H Nies
- Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Biology/Microbiology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
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The Components of the Unique Zur Regulon of Cupriavidus metallidurans Mediate Cytoplasmic Zinc Handling. J Bacteriol 2017; 199:JB.00372-17. [PMID: 28808127 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00372-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Zinc is an essential trace element, yet it is toxic at high concentrations. In the betaproteobacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans, the highly efficient removal of surplus zinc from the periplasm is responsible for the outstanding metal resistance of the organism. Rather than having a typical Zur-dependent, high-affinity ATP-binding cassette transporter of the ABC protein superfamily for zinc uptake at low concentrations, C. metallidurans has the secondary zinc importer ZupT of the zinc-regulated transporter, iron-regulated transporter (ZRT/IRT)-like protein (ZIP) family. It is important to understand, therefore, how this zinc-resistant bacterium copes with exposure to low zinc concentrations. Members of the Zur regulon in C. metallidurans were identified by comparing the transcriptomes of a Δzur mutant and its parent strain. The consensus sequence of the Zur-binding box was derived for the zupTp promoter-regulatory region by use of a truncation assay. The motif was used to predict possible Zur boxes upstream of Zur regulon members. The binding of Zur to these boxes was confirmed. Two Zur boxes upstream of the cobW 1 gene, encoding a putative zinc chaperone, proved to be required for complete repression of cobW 1 and its downstream genes in cells cultivated in mineral salts medium. A Zur box upstream of each of zur-cobW 2, cobW 3, and zupT permitted both low expression levels of these genes and their upregulation under conditions of zinc starvation. This demonstrates a compartmentalization of zinc homeostasis in C. metallidurans, where the periplasm is responsible for the removal of surplus zinc, cytoplasmic components are responsible for the management of zinc as an essential cofactor, and the two compartments are connected by ZupT.IMPORTANCE Elucidating zinc homeostasis is necessary for understanding both host-pathogen interactions and the performance of free-living bacteria in their natural environments. Escherichia coli acquires zinc under conditions of low zinc concentrations via the Zur-controlled ZnuABC importer of the ABC superfamily, and this was also the paradigm for other bacteria. In contrast, the heavy-metal-resistant bacterium C. metallidurans achieves high tolerance to zinc through sophisticated zinc handling and efflux systems operating on periplasmic zinc ions, so that removal of surplus zinc is a periplasmic feature in this bacterium. It is shown here that this process is augmented by the management of zinc by cytoplasmic zinc chaperones, whose synthesis is controlled by the Zur regulator. This demonstrates a new mechanism, involving compartmentalization, for organizing zinc homeostasis.
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Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Biologically-Mediated Gold Mobilisation and Redeposition in a Semiarid Climate, Southern New Zealand. MINERALS 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/min7080147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Detrital gold in Late Pleistocene-Holocene placers has been chemically mobilised and redeposited at the micron scale by biologically-mediated reactions in groundwater. These processes have been occurring in a tectonically active semiarid rain shadow zone of southern New Zealand and are probably typical for this type of environment elsewhere in the world. The chemical system is dominated by sulfur, which has been derived from basement pyrite and marine aerosols in rain. Detrital and authigenic pyrite is common below the water table, and evaporative sulfate minerals are common above the fluctuating water table. Pyrite oxidation was common but any acid generated was neutralised on the large scale (tens of metres) by calcite, and pH remained circumneutral except on the small scale (centimetres) around pyritic material. Metastable thiosulfate ions were a temporary product of pyrite oxidation, enhanced by bacterial mediation, and similar bacterial mediation enhanced sulfate reduction to form authigenic pyrite below the water table. Deposition of mobilised gold resulted from localised variations in redox and/or pH, and this formed overgrowths on detrital gold of microparticulate and nanoparticulate gold that is locally crystalline. The redeposited gold is an incidental byproduct of the bacterially-enhanced sulfur reactions that have occurred near to the fluctuating sulfide-sulfate redox boundary.
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Craw D. Gold mobility and biology during tectonic evolution of southern New Zealand. J R Soc N Z 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2017.1345765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dave Craw
- Geology Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Cerminati S, Giri GF, Mendoza JI, Soncini FC, Checa SK. The CpxR/CpxA system contributes to Salmonella gold-resistance by controlling the GolS-dependent gesABC transcription. Environ Microbiol 2017. [PMID: 28631419 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Several regulatory systems contribute to bacterial resistance to heavy metals controlling the expression of factors required to eliminate the intoxicant and/or to repair the damage caused by it. In Salmonella, the response to Au ions is mediated by the specific metalloregulator GolS that, among other genes, controls the expression of the RND-efflux pump GesABC. In this work, we demonstrate that CpxR/CpxA, a main cell-envelope stress-responding system, promotes gesABC transcription in the presence of Au ions at neutral pH. Deletion of either cpxA or cpxR, or mutation of the CpxR-binding site identified upstream of the GolS-operator in the gesABC promoter region reduces but does not abrogate the GolS- and Au-dependent activation of gesABC. Au also triggers the activation of the CpxR/CpxA system and deletion of the cpxRA operon severely reduces survival in the presence of the toxic metal. Our results indicate that the coordinated action of GolS and CpxR/CpxA contribute to protecting the cell from severe Au damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Cerminati
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), CONICET y Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Germán F Giri
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), CONICET y Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Julián I Mendoza
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), CONICET y Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Fernando C Soncini
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), CONICET y Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Susana K Checa
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), CONICET y Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, Argentina
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50
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Kang F, Qu X, Alvarez PJJ, Zhu D. Extracellular Saccharide-Mediated Reduction of Au 3+ to Gold Nanoparticles: New Insights for Heavy Metals Biomineralization on Microbial Surfaces. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:2776-2785. [PMID: 28151654 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Biomineralization is a critical process controlling the biogeochemical cycling, fate, and potential environmental impacts of heavy metals. Despite the indispensability of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to microbial life and their ubiquity in soil and aquatic environments, the role played by EPS in the transformation and biomineralization of heavy metals is not well understood. Here, we used gold ion (Au3+) as a model heavy metal ion to quantitatively assess the role of EPS in biomineralization and discern the responsible functional groups. Integrated spectroscopic analyses showed that Au3+was readily reduced to zerovalent gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, 2-15 nm in size) in aqueous suspension of Escherichia coli or dissolved EPS extracted from microbes. The majority of AuNPs (95.2%) was formed outside Escherichia coli cells, and the removal of EPS attached to cells pronouncedly suppressed Au3+ reduction, reflecting the predominance of the extracellular matrix in Au3+ reduction. XPS, UV-vis, and FTIR analyses corroborated that Au3+ reduction was mediated by the hemiacetal groups (aldehyde equivalents) of reducing saccharides of EPS. Consistently, the kinetics of AuNP formation obeyed pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics with respect to the concentrations of Au3+ and the hemiacetal groups in EPS, with minimal dependency on the source of microbial EPS. Our findings indicate a previously overlooked, universally significant contribution of EPS to the reduction, mineralization, and potential detoxification of metal species with high oxidation state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuxing Kang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University , Jiangsu 210095, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse/School of the Environment, Nanjing University , Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Xiaolei Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse/School of the Environment, Nanjing University , Jiangsu 210046, China
| | - Pedro J J Alvarez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University , Houston Texas 77005, United States
| | - Dongqiang Zhu
- School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University , Beijing 100871, China
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