Microbial Transformations of Arsenic: Perspectives for Biological Removal of Arsenic from Water

Cavalca, L.; Corsini, A.; Zaccheo, P.; Andreoni, V.; Muyzer, Gerard

doi:10.2217/fmb.13.38

Cited by 99 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 123 publications

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“…Previously, many studies have revealed the widespread distribution of arsenic-related genes in bacteria, and arsenic-related genes have been isolated from a large number of bacteria from different niches [1], [4], [8], [9], [11], [13], [41]. In light of these data, it has been assumed that arsenic-related genes were common in all bacteria, but clear evidence has been lacking.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic Evidence Reveals the Extreme Diversity and Wide Distribution of the Arsenic-Related Genes in Burkholderiales

Zhang

Wang

2014

PLoS ONE

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So far, numerous genes have been found to associate with various strategies to resist and transform the toxic metalloid arsenic (here, we denote these genes as “arsenic-related genes”). However, our knowledge of the distribution, redundancies and organization of these genes in bacteria is still limited. In this study, we analyzed the 188 Burkholderiales genomes and found that 95% genomes harbored arsenic-related genes, with an average of 6.6 genes per genome. The results indicated: a) compared to a low frequency of distribution for aio (arsenite oxidase) (12 strains), arr (arsenate respiratory reductase) (1 strain) and arsM (arsenite methytransferase)-like genes (4 strains), the ars (arsenic resistance system)-like genes were identified in 174 strains including 1,051 genes; b) 2/3 ars-like genes were clustered as ars operon and displayed a high diversity of gene organizations (68 forms) which may suggest the rapid movement and evolution for ars-like genes in bacterial genomes; c) the arsenite efflux system was dominant with ACR3 form rather than ArsB in Burkholderiales; d) only a few numbers of arsM and arrAB are found indicating neither As III biomethylation nor AsV respiration is the primary mechanism in Burkholderiales members; (e) the aio-like gene is mostly flanked with ars-like genes and phosphate transport system, implying the close functional relatedness between arsenic and phosphorus metabolisms. On average, the number of arsenic-related genes per genome of strains isolated from arsenic-rich environments is more than four times higher than the strains from other environments. Compared with human, plant and animal pathogens, the environmental strains possess a larger average number of arsenic-related genes, which indicates that habitat is likely a key driver for bacterial arsenic resistance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic Evidence Reveals the Extreme Diversity and Wide Distribution of the Arsenic-Related Genes in Burkholderiales

Zhang

Wang

2014

PLoS ONE

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“…In contrast, aqueous arsenic contamination can be removed through biological oxidation of ferrous iron, as the precipitating ferric (oxyhydr)oxides bind arsenic (Katsoyiannis and Zouboulis 2004). Thus, the activity of iron-reducing and oxidizing microorganisms indirectly affects arsenic concentrations in groundwater, in addition to the activity of specific microorganisms directly involved in the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic: arsenate-reducing bacteria releasing arsenite [As(III)] and arsenite-oxidizing bacteria producing arsenate [As(V)], which is less toxic, less mobile, and binds better to ferric (oxyhydr)oxides than arsenite (Cavalca et al 2013). Knowledge on the microbial ecology of the iron cycle in relation to the generation and remediation of arsenic contaminated drinking water in South and Southeast Asia is still limited, in particular with respect to iron oxidation potential.…”

Section: Location Physicochemical Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iron Cycling Potentials of Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater in Bangladesh as Revealed by Enrichment Cultivation

Hassan

Sultana

Westerhoff

et al. 2016

Geomicrobiology Journal

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The activities of iron-oxidizing and reducing microorganisms impact the fate of arsenic in groundwater. Phylogenetic information cannot exclusively be used to infer the potential for iron oxidation or reduction in aquifers. Therefore, we complemented a previous cultivation-independent microbial community survey covering 22 arsenic contaminated drinking water wells in Bangladesh, with the characterization of enrichments of microaerophilic iron oxidizers and anaerobic iron reducers, conducted on the same water samples. All investigated samples revealed a potential for microbial iron oxidation and reduction. Microbial communities were phylogenetically diverse within and between enrichments as was also observed in the previous cultivation-independent analysis of the water samples from which these enrichments were derived. Enrichment uncovered a larger diversity in iron-cycling microorganisms than previously indicated. The iron-reducing enrichments revealed the presence of several 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequences most closely related to Acetobacterium, Clostridium, Bacillus, Rhizobiales, Desulfovibrio, Bacteroides, and Spirochaetes, in addition to well-known dissimilatory iron-reducing Geobacter and Geothrix species. Although a large diversity of Geobacteraceae was observed, they comprised only a small part of the iron-reducing consortia. Iron-oxidizing gradient tube enrichments were dominated by Comamonadaceae and Rhodocyclaceae instead of Gallionellaceae. Forty-five percent of these enrichments also revealed the presence of the gene encoding arsenite oxidase, which converts arsenite to less toxic and less mobile arsenate. Their potential for ferric (oxyhydr)oxides precipitation and arsenic immobilization makes these iron-oxidizing enrichments of interest for rational bioaugmentation of arsenite contaminated groundwater.

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“…Numerous microorganisms can gain energy using As either as electron donor (chemolithotrophic As III -oxidizing bacteria, AOB) (Oremland et al 2002) or as electron acceptor (dissimilatory As V -reducing bacteria, DARB) (Ahmann et al 1994). The microorganisms able to utilize As have demonstrated a great phylogenetic diversity, and they can be found in aquatic and terrestrial environments, as well as in a wide range of environmental conditions (Cavalca et al 2013, Kruger et al 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation of a Methanogenic Consortium to Arsenite Inhibition

Rodríguez-Freire

Moore

Sierra-Álvarez

et al. 2015

Water Air Soil Pollut

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Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous metalloid known for its adverse effects to human health. Microorganisms are also impacted by As toxicity, including methanogenic archaea, which can affect the performance of process in which biological activity is required (i.e. stabilization of activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants). The novel ability of a mixed methanogenic granular sludge consortium to adapt to the inhibitory effect of arsenic (As) was investigated by exposing the culture to approximately 0.92 mM of AsIII for 160 d in an arsenate (AsV) reducing bioreactor using ethanol as the electron donor. The results of shaken batch bioassays indicated that the original, unexposed sludge was severely inhibited by arsenite (AsIII) as evidenced by the low 50% inhibition concentrations (IC50) determined, i.e., 19 and 90 μM for acetoclastic- and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, respectively. The tolerance of the acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens in the sludge to AsIII increased 47-fold (IC50 = 910 μM) and 12-fold (IC50= 1100 μM), respectively, upon long-term exposure to As. In conclusion, the methanogenic community in the granular sludge demonstrated a considerable ability to adapt to the severe inhibitory effects of As after a prolonged exposure period.

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Microbial Transformations of Arsenic: Perspectives for Biological Removal of Arsenic from Water

Cited by 99 publications

References 123 publications

Genomic Evidence Reveals the Extreme Diversity and Wide Distribution of the Arsenic-Related Genes in Burkholderiales

Genomic Evidence Reveals the Extreme Diversity and Wide Distribution of the Arsenic-Related Genes in Burkholderiales

Iron Cycling Potentials of Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater in Bangladesh as Revealed by Enrichment Cultivation

Adaptation of a Methanogenic Consortium to Arsenite Inhibition

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