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Characterization of a mercury-reducing Bacillus cereus strain isolated from the Pulicat Lake sediments, south east coast of India

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Abstract

Pulicat Lake sediments are often severely polluted with the toxic heavy metal mercury. Several mercury-resistant strains of Bacillus species were isolated from the sediments and all the isolates exhibited broad spectrum resistance (resistance to both organic and inorganic mercuric compounds). Plasmid curing assay showed that all the isolated Bacillus strains carry chromosomally borne mercury resistance. Polymerase chain reaction and southern hybridization analyses using merA and merB3 gene primers/probes showed that five of the isolated Bacillus strains carry sequences similar to known merA and merB3 genes. Results of multiple sequence alignment revealed 99% similarity with merA and merB3 of TnMERI1 (class II transposons). Other mercury resistant Bacillus species lacking homology to these genes were not able to volatilize mercuric chloride, indicating the presence of other modes of resistance to mercuric compounds.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Prof. C.C. Huang, Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan for providing the primers merA and merB3. S.K. and R.K. thank Prof. P. Periakali, Head, Department of Applied Geology, University of Madras for his constant encouragement during the study. SK is grateful to Aashiq Hussain Kachroo for help with the molecular biological analysis and the University of Madras for fellowship under the “UGC- UWPFE” programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Geology, University of Madras, Guindy campus, Post Bag No: 5327, 600 025, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Seralathan Kamala Kannan & Ramaswamy Krishnamoorthy

  2. Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, 560 012, Bangalore, India

    Subramony Mahadevan

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  1. Seralathan Kamala Kannan
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  2. Subramony Mahadevan
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  3. Ramaswamy Krishnamoorthy
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Correspondence to Seralathan Kamala Kannan.

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Kannan, S.K., Mahadevan, S. & Krishnamoorthy, R. Characterization of a mercury-reducing Bacillus cereus strain isolated from the Pulicat Lake sediments, south east coast of India. Arch Microbiol 185, 202–211 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-006-0088-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-006-0088-6

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