A Confocal microscopic study on colony morphology and sporulation of Bacillus sp. |
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Authors: | M S Mary Judy Gopal B V R Tata T S Rao S Vincent |
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Institution: | (1) Materials Science Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India;(2) Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre Facilities, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India;(3) Unit of Environmental Health and Biotechnology/LIFE, Loyola College, Chennai, 600 031, India |
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Abstract: | Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is one of the dominant oxidation states of chromium that exist in the environment and is highly
toxic to all forms of life. In the present study, we employ a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and investigate the
effect of Cr(VI) on colony morphology of a Bacillus sp. isolated from soil exposed to tannery effluent. The colonies grown at chromium concentrations, control and 100 ppm are
found to be opaque and beyond 200 ppm the colonies were translucent thus exhibiting phase variation. CLSM studies on colonies
grown on control plates showed significant increase in height and in biovolume as a function of time whereas, the translucent
colonies showed very little change in height and biovolume corresponding to the colony growth. Exopolymeric substance (EPS)
content of translucent colonies was lesser than that of opaque colonies, indicating that EPS also plays a role in the observed
phenomenon of phase variation. Studies on the effect of Cr(VI) on spore formation showed that Cr(VI) concentrations up to
100 ppm favored spore formation, while concentrations beyond 100 ppm showed a steady decline in spore formation. |
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Keywords: | Hexavalent chromium Phase variation Bacillus CLSM Colony morphology |
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