Enzymatic potential of heterotrophic bacteria from a neutral copper mine drainage

Abstract

Copper mine drainages are restricted environments that have been overlooked as sources of new biocatalysts for bioremediation and organic syntheses. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the enzymatic activities (esterase, epoxide hydrolase and monooxygenase) of 56 heterotrophic bacteria isolated from a neutral copper mine drainage (Sossego Mine, Canaã dos Carajás, Brazil). Hydrolase and monooxygenase activities were detected in 75% and 20% of the evaluated bacteria, respectively. Bacterial strains with good oxidative performance were also evaluated for biotransformation of organic sulfides. Fourteen strains with good enzymatic activity were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, revealing the presence of three genera: Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas. The bacterial strains B. megaterium (SO5-4 and SO6-2) and Pseudomonas sp. (SO5-9) efficiently oxidized three different organic sulfides to their corresponding sulfoxides. In conclusion, this study revealed that neutral copper mine drainages are a promising source of biocatalysts for ester hydrolysis and sulfide oxidation/bioremediation. Furthermore, this is a novel biotechnological overview of the heterotrophic bacteria from a copper mine drainage, and this report may support further microbiological monitoring of this type of mine environment.

The Bacterial Population of Neutral Mine Drainage Water of Elizabeth’s Shaft (Slovinky, Slovakia)

“…While lithotrophic genera such as Acidithiobacillus, Acidiphilum, Ferrovum, Leptospirillum, Gallionella, and Sulfobacillus dominate AMD environments [6,24,40], heterotrophic Proteobacteria such as Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., and Stenotrophomonas spp. were found with high abundance in neutral copper mine drainage [42] and other mining samples [43,44]. The high abundance of Pseudomonas spp.…”

Impacto de los drenajes de mina sobre los microorganismos del suelo

“…En estudios previos se ha logrado determinar el efecto de los drenajes de mina sobre las comunidades microbianas y cómo afectan los ciclos biogeoquímicos (Pereira, et al, 2015;Méndez-García, et al, 2015;Da Costa, et al, 2016), por lo que dicho impacto puede determinarse a partir de la actividad enzimática de las β glucosidasas, ureasas y fosfatasas ácidas y alcalinas, las cuales están vinculadas con la descomposición de materia orgánica y los ciclos de nutrientes como el carbón, el nitrógeno y el fosforo (Vallejo, 2012). Las enzimas son bioindicadores de la calidad y la fertilidad del suelo, ya que se relacionan con la catálisis del ciclo de nutrientes, la composición microbiana y los nutrientes disponibles en el suelo.…”

Simultaneous Multienzymatic Screening with Fluorogenic Probes

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The fact that these techniques are based on the monitoring of absorption/emission wavelengths enables the simultaneous monitoring of different phenomena occurring in the same system by detecting different wavelengths. 8,9 As such, multiplex assays [10][11][12] are developed and applied to detect multiple transformations in a single experiment.…”

“…13 In the case of microplate assays, this allows the simultaneous and parallel monitoring of different biomolecules in a single system, paving the way for different and wider applications within the current biological context, such as the discovery of new biocatalysts of interest with the use of specific fluorogenic/chromogenic probes. 4,[14][15][16][17] The inclusion of biocatalytic steps in predominantly chemical processes is an excellent alternative to improve parameters such as reaction conversion and selectivity; 15 or even more complex cases, when it is aimed at obtaining a biocatalyst able to catalyze different substrates (enzymatic promiscuity). 18,19 To that end, genetic engineering techniques have been used to improve catalytic potential through directed evolution processes.…”

“…These methodologies are sensitive and require low concentrations of the substrate and biocatalyst, and are performed in miniaturized experiments (μL-scale) evaluating a large number of samples per unit of time. 4,14 Since these tests monitor absorption (for chromophores) or emission (for fluorophores), more than one substrate can be evaluated at a time, 9,28,29 provided that one wavelength does not overlap the other. Thus, the development of simultaneous monitoring systems for enzymatic activities becomes quite promising, contributing not only to cost savings, but to optimizing test times.…”