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Muñoz-Villagrán C, Contreras F, Cornejo F, Figueroa M, Valenzuela-Bezanilla D, Luraschi R, Reinoso C, Rivas-Pardo J, Vásquez C, Castro M, Arenas F. Understanding gold toxicity in aerobically-grown Escherichia coli. Biol Res 2020; 53:26. [PMID: 32513271 PMCID: PMC7278051 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-020-00292-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is an emerging field to put into practice new strategies for developing molecules with antimicrobial properties. In this line, several metals and metalloids are currently being used for these purposes, although their cellular effect(s) or target(s) in a particular organism are still unknown. Here we aimed to investigate and analyze Au3+ toxicity through a combination of biochemical and molecular approaches. Results We found that Au3+ triggers a major oxidative unbalance in Escherichia coli, characterized by decreased intracellular thiol levels, increased superoxide concentration, as well as by an augmented production of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. Because ROS production is, in some cases, associated with metal reduction and the concomitant generation of gold-containing nanostructures (AuNS), this possibility was evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions Au3+ is toxic for E. coli because it triggers an unbalance of the bacterium’s oxidative status. This was demonstrated by using oxidative stress dyes and antioxidant chemicals as well as gene reporters, RSH concentrations and AuNS generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Muñoz-Villagrán
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - F Contreras
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - F Cornejo
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - M Figueroa
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - D Valenzuela-Bezanilla
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Sede Santiago, Chile
| | - R Luraschi
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - C Reinoso
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Sede Santiago, Chile
| | - J Rivas-Pardo
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratorio de Biología estructural, Centro de Genómica y Bioinformática, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - C Vásquez
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - M Castro
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Sede Santiago, Chile.
| | - F Arenas
- Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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