Oxidation and Reduction of Iron by Acidophilic Bacteria

Abstract

Redox reactions of iron in acidic environments are of economic and environmental significance, for example, for the leaching of metal ores and for the formation of acid mine drainage and acid sulfate soils. Until recently, research on microbial iron metabolism in acidic environments has mainly been focused on the role of aerobic, autotrophic ferrous iron‐oxidizing bacteria. In the present paper, recent new developments in the field of acidophilic iron metabolism are reviewed. In addition to the well‐known autotrophic ferrous iron‐oxidizing organisms, new heterotrophic isolates have been described that are capable of oxidizing ferrous iron. Microorganisms can also play an important role in the reductive part of the iron cycle. Both heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms may also be involved in this process. The contribution of heterotrophic organisms to acidophilic iron cycling can be twofold: In addition to their direct role as a catalyst, these organisms may scavenge organic compounds that inhibit their autotrophic counterparts. Detailed studies of acidophilic ecosystems are needed to assess the significance of the various types of microorganisms for the overall rate of iron cycling in these extreme environments.     

High-yielding plasmid extraction method from acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria of the genus Acidiphilium

Plasmid yield from Acidiphilium strains always had been poor following various standard methods. We adopted some simple modifications in the alkaline lysis procedure to get a better yield of plasmid from these bacteria. An approximately 10- to 20-fold increase in the plasmid yield was achieved when harvested Acidiphilium cells were preincubated 16-20 h at pH 6 in nitrogen-free medium. Another independent approach showed that freezing (-18 to -20 degrees C) of the harvested cells initially and at two subsequent steps in the alkaline lysis procedure of plasmid DNA extraction improved the yield further by 1.5- to 3-fold. The combination of these changes yielded at least 15- to 30-fold more plasmid from various Acidiphilium strains as compared with standard methods.     

Effect of microbial activity on buried cyanobacterial organic matter

The biomass from which hydrocarbons were formed and the organisms responsible for its production are usually deduced by the use of biochemical markers. In the present study, using a simulated sedimentary system, cyanobacterial organic matter was buried in sediments and exposed to sequential environmental changes ranging from microaerobic conditions at ambient temperature to strongly reducing conditions at a biologically extreme temperature and pressure. Significant changes occurred in the composition of hydrocarbons and fatty acids isolated from the biomass that masked the characteristic patterns exhibited by the original cyanobacterial material. The changes depended on the particular environmental conditions to which the organic matter was exposed. The results stress the need for caution in interpreting biochemical markers in terms of their source material in sediments.     

Reductive Dissolution of Jarosite by Acidiphilium cryptum in Presence of Chelating Agents and Dissolved Iron

The mutual effects of Acidiphilium cryptum, nine ligands and dissolved iron on jarosite dissolution were studied in a 2³ full factorial experiment. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and oxalic acid were able to dissolve jarosite chemically, but bacterial action enhanced this dissolution; from 88 ± 1, 46 ± 0 and 36 ± 0 µmol/L d to 129 ± 3, 177 ± 5 and 106 ± 14 µmol/L d, respectively. Oxalate and NTA exhibited a synergistic effect with dissolved iron and bacteria that may be explained by a model in which iron complexes behave as redox mediators in the microbial respiration in which jarosite, a solid substrate, serves as terminal electron acceptor.     

Morphological changes in an acidophilic bacterium induced by heavy metals

The Acidiphilium strains inhabit acidic mine regions where they are subjected to occasional environmental stresses such as high and low temperatures, exposure to various heavy metals, etc. Change in morphology is one of the strategies that bacteria adopt to cope with environmental stresses; however, no study on this aspect has been reported in the case of Acidiphilium sp. This work is an attempt using the acidophilic heterotrophic bacterium Acidiphilium symbioticum H8. It was observed that the maximum alterations in size occurred when the bacterium was exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of Cu and Cd. Loosely packed coccobacillus-type normal cells formed characteristic chains of coccoidal lenticular shape with constrictions at the junctions between them in the presence of Cd; Cu induced transformation of cells to become round shaped; Ni caused the cells to aggregate, but Zn showed no effect. Respective metal depositions on the cell surface were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Cell bound Ca²⁺ ions were replaced by these metal ions and measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry from the culture filtrate. Cell shape changed only after the addition of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the metals, but in growth inhibitory concentrations it was similar to the normal cells.     

Nomenclature of metal-substituted (bacterio)chlorophylls in natural photosynthesis: Metal-(bacterio)chlorophyll and M-(B)Chl

A nomenclature including abbreviation for the metal-substituted (bacterio)chlorophylls active in natural photosynthesis is proposed as metal-(bacterio)chlorophyll and M-(B)Chl.     

Acidiphilium cryptum DX1-1 CO2固定相关基因的克隆及在不同营养方式下的差异表达研究

目的：研究Acidiphilium cryptum DX1-1 CO2固定相关基因的克隆及在不同营养方式下的差异表达。方法：以Acidiphilium cryptum DX1-1（CCTCCM208056）的DNA为模板,基于A．cryptum JF-5同源功能基因序列（JGI,http：／／genome．oml．gov／cgi-bin／JGI_microbial／keggcategories．cgi）设计引物,对菌株DX1-1中的CO2固定相关基因Acry_0824,Acry_082,Acry_1067,Acry_1272,Acry_0022和Acry_0827进行了克隆和序列比对分析;并对它们在不同营养条件下的基因差异表达进行了分析。结果：从菌株DX1—1成功克隆了所选择的CO2固定相关基因,其序列与菌株JF的同源功能基因序列一致性分别达到了99．8％,99．6％,99．6％,99．5％,99．3％和99．8％;Acry_0824,Acry_1272和Acry_0827三个基因在各种混合养条件下表达均上调,说明它们在DX1—1 CO2固定中起较关键的作用。在加入0．1％的葡萄糖混合养条件下,DX1—1细胞明显利用空气中的CO2来生长和累积PHB。结论：限制性葡萄糖可以促进细胞自养生长和累积PHB。     

嗜酸异养菌对自养菌Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans金属离子抗性和生物浸出的影响

【目的】了解嗜酸异养菌在诸如酸性矿坑水(AMD)和生物浸出体系等极端酸性环境中对浸矿微生物产生的影响。【方法】研究由嗜酸异养菌Acidiphilium acidophilum和自养菌Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans经长期驯化后形成的共培养体系分别在Cd2+、Cu2+、Ni2+和Mg2+胁迫下的稳定性;并将此共培养体系应用于黄铁矿和低品位黄铜矿的生物浸出实验。【结果】在上述4种金属离子分别存在的条件下,异养菌Aph.acidophilum均能促进At.ferrooxidans对亚铁的氧化,提高其对能源利用的效率。共培养体系中的异养菌Aph.acidophilum使At.ferrooxidans对Cu2+的最大耐受浓度(MTC)由2.0 g/L提高到5.0 g/L,而且共培养的细胞数量与2.0 g/L Cu2+条件下生长的At.ferrooxidans纯培养相似。另外,共培养中的At.ferrooxidans对Mg2+的MTC也由12.0 g/L提高到17.0 g/L。生物浸出实验中嗜酸异养菌Aph.acidophilum促进了At.ferrooxidans对黄铁矿样品的浸出,浸出率较其纯培养提高了22.7%;但在含铁量较低的低品位黄铜矿浸出体系中共培养和At.ferrooxidans纯培养的浸出率均低于33%。在加入2.0 g/L Fe2+的低品位黄铜矿浸出体系中,共培养和At.ferrooxidans纯培养的浸出率均得到提高,分别达到52.22%和41.27%。【结论】以上结果表明,Aph.acidophilum与At.ferrooxidans共培养在一定的环境胁迫下仍能保持其稳定性并完成各自的生态功能,并且嗜酸异养菌Aph.acidophilum适合在含铁量较高的浸出体系中与铁氧化细菌共同作用来提高生物浸出的效率。     

Lipopolysaccharides of the acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria Acidiphilium cryptum and Acidiphilium symbioticum

Abstract Lipopolysaccharides of Acidiphilium cryptum and Acidiphilium symbioticum , the acidophilic heterotrophs of sulfidic mine environments, contain rhamnose, glucose, galactose and mannose. Molar ratios of the neutral sugars differ in these two lipopolysaccharide preparations. 3-Deoxy-d-manno-2-octulosonic acid is present in both the lipopolysaccharides, and galactosamine was the only amino sugar detected. 3-Hydroxytetradecanoic acid was found to be the major fatty acid component along with minute amounts of decanoic and dodecanoic acids. Deoxycholate-PAGE electrophoresis revealed the presence of short sugar chains and unsubstituted cores. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to acidiphilicity and systematics of Acidiphilium species.