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Sulfate-reducing bacteria mediate thionation of diphenylarsinic acid under anaerobic conditions

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Abstract

Diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA) is often found as a toxic intermediate metabolite of diphenylchloroarsine or diphenylcyanoarsine that were produced as chemical warfare agents and were buried in soil after the World Wars. In our previous study Guan et al. (J Hazard Mater 241–242:355–362, 2012), after application of sulfate and carbon sources, anaerobic transformation of DPAA in soil was enhanced with the production of diphenylthioarsinic acid (DPTAA) as a main metabolite. This study aimed to isolate and characterize anaerobic soil microorganisms responsible for the metabolism of DPAA. First, we obtained four microbial consortia capable of transforming DPAA to DPTAA at a high transformation rate of more than 80 % after 4 weeks of incubation. Sequencing for the bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries constructed from the consortia revealed that all the positive consortia contained Desulfotomaculum acetoxidans species. In contrast, the absence of dissimilatory sulfite reductase gene (dsrAB) which is unique to sulfate-reducing bacteria was confirmed in the negative consortia showing no DPAA reduction. Finally, strain DEA14 showing transformation of DPAA to DPTAA was isolated from one of the positive consortia. The isolate was assigned to D. acetoxidans based on the partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Thionation of DPAA was also carried out in a pure culture of a known sulfate-reducing bacterial strain, Desulfovibrio aerotolerans JCM 12613T. These facts indicate that sulfate-reducing bacteria are microorganisms responsible for the transformation of DPAA to DPTAA under anaerobic conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financed in part by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 22510083 and 25340084) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Iijima Memorial Foundation for the Promotion of Food Science and Technology. We thank the Field Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, for providing soil samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Fostering Innovative Leadership, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Ling Guan

  2. Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Ling Guan, Ayaka Shiiya & Shihoko Hisatomi

  3. Institute of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Ling Guan, Masanori Nonaka & Naoki Harada

  4. Office for Environment and Safety, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan

    Kunihiko Fujii

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  1. Ling Guan
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  2. Ayaka Shiiya
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  3. Shihoko Hisatomi
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  4. Kunihiko Fujii
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  5. Masanori Nonaka
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  6. Naoki Harada
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Correspondence to Naoki Harada.

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Guan, L., Shiiya, A., Hisatomi, S. et al. Sulfate-reducing bacteria mediate thionation of diphenylarsinic acid under anaerobic conditions. Biodegradation 26, 29–38 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-014-9713-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-014-9713-2

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