Abstract
The global concern over arsenic contamination in water due to its natural occurrence and human activities has led to the development of innovative solutions for its detection and remediation. Microbial metabolism and mobilization play crucial roles in the global cycle of arsenic. Many microbial arsenic-resistance systems, especially the ars operons, prevalent in bacterial plasmids and genomes, play vital roles in arsenic resistance and are utilized as templates for designing synthetic bacteria. This review novelty focuses on the use of these tailored bacteria, engineered with ars operons, for arsenic biosensing and bioremediation. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using synthetic bacteria in arsenic pollution treatment. We highlight the importance of genetic circuit design, reporter development, and chassis cell optimization to improve biosensors’ performance. Bacterial arsenic resistances involving several processes, such as uptake, transformation, and methylation, engineered in customized bacteria have been summarized for arsenic bioaccumulation, detoxification, and biosorption. In this review, we present recent insights on the use of synthetic bacteria designed with ars operons for developing tailored bacteria for controlling arsenic pollution, offering a promising avenue for future research and application in environmental protection.
Graphical abstract
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
References
Andreoni V, Zanchi R, Cavalca L, Corsini A, Romagnoli C, Canzi E (2012) Arsenite oxidation in Ancylobacter dichloromethanicus As3-1b strain: detection of genes involved in arsenite oxidation and CO2 fixation. Curr Microbiol 65(2):212–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-012-0149-9
Ben Fekih I, Zhang C, Li YP, Zhao Y, Alwathnani HA, Saquib Q, Rensing C, Cervantes C (2018) Distribution of arsenic resistance genes in prokaryotes. Front Microbiol 9:2473. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02473
Bereza-Malcolm L, Aracic S, Mann G, Franks AE (2018) The development and analyses of several Gram-negative arsenic biosensors using a synthetic biology approach. Sens Actuators, B Chem 256:117–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2017.10.068
Buffi N, Merulla D, Beutier J, Barbaud F, Beggah S, van Lintel H, Renaud P, van der Meer JR (2011) Development of a microfluidics biosensor for agarose-bead immobilized Escherichia coli bioreporter cells for arsenite detection in aqueous samples. Lab Chip 11(14):2369–2377. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1lc20274j
Calatayud M, Barrios JA, Velez D, Devesa V (2012) In vitro study of transporters involved in intestinal absorption of inorganic arsenic. Chem Res Toxicol 25(2):446–453. https://doi.org/10.1021/tx200491f
Carlin A, Shi W, Dey S, Rosen BP (1995) The ars operon of Escherichia coli confers arsenical and antimonial resistance. J Bacteriol 177(4):981–986. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.177.4.981-986.1995
Cervantes C, Ji G, Ramirez JL, Silver S (1994) Resistance to arsenic compounds in microorganisms. FEMS Microbiol Rev 15(4):355–367. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6976.1994.tb00145.x
Chen CM, Misra TK, Silver S, Rosen BP (1986) Nucleotide sequence of the structural genes for an anion pump. The plasmid-encoded arsenical resistance operon. J Biol Chem 261(32):15030–15038
Chen J, Qin J, Zhu YG, de Lorenzo V, Rosen BP (2013) Engineering the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida for arsenic methylation. Appl Environ Microbiol 79(14):4493–4495. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01133-13
Chen J, Sun GX, Wang XX, Lorenzo V, Rosen BP, Zhu YG (2014) Volatilization of arsenic from polluted soil by Pseudomonas putida engineered for expression of the arsM Arsenic(III) S-adenosine methyltransferase gene. Environ Sci Technol 48(17):10337–10344. https://doi.org/10.1021/es502230b
Chen SY, Wei W, Yin BC, Tong Y, Lu J, Ye BC (2019) Development of a highly sensitive whole-cell biosensor for arsenite detection through engineered promoter modifications. ACS Synth Biol 8(10):2295–2302. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.9b00093
Chen SY, Zhang Y, Li R, Wang B, Ye BC (2022) De Novo design of the ArsR regulated Pars promoter enables a highly sensitive whole-cell biosensor for arsenic contamination. Anal Chem 94(20):7210–7218. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00055
Cortes-Salazar F, Beggah S, van der Meer JR, Girault HH (2013) Electrochemical As(III) whole-cell based biochip sensor. Biosens Bioelectron 47:237–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2013.03.011
Crameri A, Dawes G, Rodriguez E Jr, Silver S, Stemmer WP (1997) Molecular evolution of an arsenate detoxification pathway by DNA shuffling. Nat Biotechnol 15(5):436–438. https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0597-436
Date A, Pasini P, Daunert S (2007) Construction of spores for portable bacterial whole-cell biosensing systems. Anal Chem 79(24):9391–9397. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac701606g
Date A, Pasini P, Sangal A, Daunert S (2010) Packaging sensing cells in spores for long-term preservation of sensors: a tool for biomedical and environmental analysis. Anal Chem 82(14):6098–6103. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac1007865
Fang Y, Zhu C, Chen X, Wang Y, Xu M, Sun G, Guo J, Yoo J, Tie C, Jiang X, Li X (2018) Copy number of ArsR reporter plasmid determines its arsenite response and metal specificity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 102(13):5753–5761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-018-9042-1
Fremont A, Sas E, Sarrazin M, Gonzalez E, Brisson J, Pitre FE, Brereton NJB (2022) Phytochelatin and coumarin enrichment in root exudates of arsenic-treated white lupin. Plant Cell Environ 45(3):936–954. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14163
Fu D, Libson A, Stroud R (2002) The structure of GlpF, a glycerol conducting channel. Novartis Found Symp 245:51–61
Garla R, Ganger R, Mohanty BP, Verma S, Bansal MP, Garg ML (2016) Metallothionein does not sequester arsenic(III) ions in condition of acute arsenic toxicity. Toxicology 366–367:68–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2016.08.008
Gihring TM, Bond PL, Peters SC, Banfield JF (2003) Arsenic resistance in the archaeon “Ferroplasma acidarmanus”: new insights into the structure and evolution of the ars genes. Extremophiles 7(2):123–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-002-0303-6
Gladysheva TB, Oden KL, Rosen BP (1994) Properties of the arsenate reductase of plasmid R773. Biochemistry 33(23):7288–7293. https://doi.org/10.1021/bi00189a033
Glodowska M, Ma Y, Smith G, Kappler A, Jetten M, Welte CU (2023) Nitrate leaching and its implication for Fe and As mobility in a Southeast Asian aquifer. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiad025
Grillo-Puertas M, Schurig-Briccio LA, Rodriguez-Montelongo L, Rintoul MR, Rapisarda VA (2014) Copper tolerance mediated by polyphosphate degradation and low-affinity inorganic phosphate transport system in Escherichia coli. BMC Microbiol 14:72. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2180-14-72
Guo Y, Hui CY, Liu L, Zheng HQ, Wu HM (2019) Improved monitoring of low-level transcription in Escherichia coli by a beta-galactosidase alpha-complementation system. Front Microbiol 10:1454. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01454
Guo Y, Hui CY, Zhang NX, Liu L, Li H, Zheng HJ (2021) Development of cadmium multiple-signal biosensing and fioadsorption systems based on artificial cad operons. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 9:585617. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.585617
Guo Y, Huang ZL, Zhu DL, Hu SY, Li H, Hui CY (2022) Anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway switched by metalloregulator PbrR to enable a biosensor for the detection of lead toxicity. Front Microbiol 13:975421. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.975421
Hu Q, Li L, Wang Y, Zhao W, Qi H, Zhuang G (2010) Construction of WCB-11: a novel phiYFP arsenic-resistant whole-cell biosensor. J Environ Sci 22(9):1469–1474. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1001-0742(09)60277-1
Huang CW, Wei CC, Liao VH (2015a) A low cost color-based bacterial biosensor for measuring arsenic in groundwater. Chemosphere 141:44–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.06.011
Huang CW, Yang SH, Sun MW, Liao VH (2015b) Development of a set of bacterial biosensors for simultaneously detecting arsenic and mercury in groundwater. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 22(13):10206–10213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4216-1
Hui CY, Guo Y, Yang XQ, Zhang W, Huang XQ (2018) Surface display of metal binding domain derived from PbrR on Escherichia coli specifically increases lead(II) adsorption. Biotechnol Lett 40(5):837–845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-018-2533-4
Hui CY, Guo Y, Liu L, Zheng HQ, Gao CX, Zhang W (2020) Construction of a RFP-lacZalpha bicistronic reporter system and its application in lead biosensing. PLoS ONE 15(1):e0228456. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228456
Hui CY, Guo Y, Li LM, Liu L, Chen YT, Yi J, Zhang NX (2021a) Indigoidine biosynthesis triggered by the heavy metal-responsive transcription regulator: a visual whole-cell biosensor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 105(14–15):6087–6102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11441-5
Hui CY, Guo Y, Liu L, Yi J (2021b) Recent advances in bacterial biosensing and bioremediation of cadmium pollution: a mini-review. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 38(1):9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-021-03198-w
Hui CY, Guo Y, Li H, Chen YT, Yi J (2022a) Differential detection of bioavailable mercury and cadmium based on a robust dual-sensing bacterial biosensor. Front Microbiol 13:846524. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.846524
Hui CY, Guo Y, Zhu DL, Li LM, Yi J, Zhang NX (2022b) Metabolic engineering of the violacein biosynthetic pathway toward a low-cost, minimal-equipment lead biosensor. Biosens Bioelectron 214:114531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2022.114531
Hui CY, Hu SY, Li LM, Yun JP, Zhang YF, Yi J, Zhang NX, Guo Y (2022c) Metabolic engineering of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway toward a specific and sensitive inorganic mercury biosensor. RSC Adv 12(55):36142–36148. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ra06764a
Hui CY, Hu SY, Yang XQ, Guo Y (2023a) A panel of visual bacterial biosensors for the rapid detection of genotoxic and oxidative damage: a proof of concept study. Mutat Res Genet Toxicol Environ Mutagen 888:503639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrgentox.2023.503639
Hui CY, Ma BC, Hu SY, Wu C (2023b) Tailored bacteria tackling with environmental mercury: inspired by natural mercuric detoxification operons. Environ Pollut 341:123016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123016
Hui CY, Ma BC, Wang YQ, Yang XQ, Cai JM (2023c) Designed bacteria based on natural pbr operons for detecting and detoxifying environmental lead: a mini-review. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 267:115662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115662
Irshad S, Xie Z, Mehmood S, Nawaz A, Ditta A, Mahmood Q (2021) Insights into conventional and recent technologies for arsenic bioremediation: a systematic review. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 28(15):18870–18892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12487-8
Ji G, Silver S (1992) Regulation and expression of the arsenic resistance operon from Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258. J Bacteriol 174(11):3684–3694. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.174.11.3684-3694.1992
Jia X, Bu R, Zhao T, Wu K (2019) Sensitive and specific whole-cell biosensor for arsenic detection. Appl Environ Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00694-19
Kabiraj A, Biswas R, Halder U, Bandopadhyay R (2022) Bacterial arsenic metabolism and its role in arsenic bioremediation. Curr Microbiol 79(5):131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-022-02810-y
Kaur S, Kamli MR, Ali A (2009) Diversity of arsenate reductase genes (arsC Genes) from arsenic-resistant environmental isolates of E. coli. Curr Microbiol 59:288–294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-009-9432-9
Kaur H, Kumar R, Babu JN, Mittal S (2015) Advances in arsenic biosensor development–a comprehensive review. Biosens Bioelectron 63:533–545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2014.08.003
Kawakami Y, Siddiki MS, Inoue K, Otabayashi H, Yoshida K, Ueda S, Miyasaka H, Maeda I (2010) Application of fluorescent protein-tagged trans factors and immobilized cis elements to monitoring of toxic metals based on in vitro protein-DNA interactions. Biosens Bioelectron 26(4):1466–1473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2010.07.082
Ke C, Zhao C, Rensing C, Yang S, Zhang Y (2018) Characterization of recombinant E. coli expressing arsR from Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 that displays highly selective arsenic adsorption. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 102:6247–6255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-018-9080-8
Ke C, Xiong H, Zhao C, Zhang Z, Zhao X, Rensing C, Zhang G, Yang S (2019) Expression and purification of an ArsM-elastin-like polypeptide fusion and its enzymatic properties. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 103(6):2809–2820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-09638-w
Kostal J, Yang R, Wu CH, Mulchandani A, Chen W (2004) Enhanced arsenic accumulation in engineered bacterial cells expressing ArsR. Appl Environ Microbiol 70(8):4582–4587. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.70.8.4582-4587.2004
Kumari N, Jagadevan S (2016) Genetic identification of arsenate reductase and arsenite oxidase in redox transformations carried out by arsenic metabolising prokaryotes—A comprehensive review. Chemosphere 163:400–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.08.044
Laha A, Sengupta S, Bhattacharya P, Mandal J, Bhattacharyya S, Bhattacharyya K (2022) Recent advances in the bioremediation of arsenic-contaminated soils: a mini review. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 38(11):189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-022-03375-5
Li L, Liang J, Hong W, Zhao Y, Sun S, Yang X, Xu A, Hang H, Wu L, Chen S (2015) Evolved bacterial biosensor for arsenite detection in environmental water. Environ Sci Technol 49(10):6149–6155. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b00832
Li P, Wang Y, Yuan X, Liu X, Liu C, Fu X, Sun D, Dang Y, Holmes DE (2021) Development of a whole-cell biosensor based on an ArsR-Pars regulatory circuit from Geobacter sulfurreducens. Environ Sci Ecotechnol 6:100092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2021.100092
Li J, Cui M, Zhao J, Wang J, Fang X (2023) A self-amplifying plasmid based ultrasensitive biosensor for the detection of As(III) in water. Biosens Bioelectron 221:114937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2022.114937
Liao VH, Ou KL (2005) Development and testing of a green fluorescent protein-based bacterial biosensor for measuring bioavailable arsenic in contaminated groundwater samples. Environ Toxicol Chem 24(7):1624–1631. https://doi.org/10.1897/04-500r.1
Lin YF, Walmsley AR, Rosen BP (2006) An arsenic metallochaperone for an arsenic detoxification pump. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(42):15617–15622. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0603974103
Lin YF, Yang J, Rosen BP (2007) ArsD: an As(III) metallochaperone for the ArsAB As(III)-translocating ATPase. J Bioenerg Biomembr 39(5–6):453–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-007-9113-y
Liu G, Liu M, Kim EH, Maaty WS, Bothner B, Lei B, Rensing C, Wang G, McDermott TR (2012) A periplasmic arsenite-binding protein involved in regulating arsenite oxidation. Environ Microbiol 14(7):1624–1634. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02672.x
Liu C, Yu H, Zhang B, Liu S, Liu CG, Li F, Song H (2022) Engineering whole-cell microbial biosensors: design principles and applications in monitoring and treatment of heavy metals and organic pollutants. Biotechnol Adv 60:108019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108019
Ma J, Sengupta MK, Yuan D, Dasgupta PK (2014) Speciation and detection of arsenic in aqueous samples: a review of recent progress in non-atomic spectrometric methods. Anal Chim Acta 831:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2014.04.029
Ma BC, Guo Y, Lin YR, Zhang J, Wang XQ, Zhang WQ, Luo JG, Chen YT, Zhang NX, Lu Q, Hui CY (2024) High-throughput screening of human mercury exposure based on a low-cost naked eye-recognized biosensing platform. Biosens Bioelectron 248:115961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2023.115961
Maleki F, Shahpiri A (2022) Efficient and specific bioaccumulation of arsenic in the transgenic Escherichia coli expressing ArsR1 from Corynebacterium glutamicum. Biometals 35(5):889–901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-022-00412-6
Martin P, DeMel S, Shi J, Gladysheva T, Gatti DL, Rosen BP, Edwards BF (2001) Insights into the structure, solvation, and mechanism of ArsC arsenate reductase, a novel arsenic detoxification enzyme. Structure 9(11):1071–1081. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0969-2126(01)00672-4
Mateos LM, Ordonez E, Letek M, Gil JA (2006) Corynebacterium glutamicum as a model bacterium for the bioremediation of arsenic. Int Microbiol 9(3):207–215
Misra CS, Sounderajan S, Apte SK (2021) Metal removal by metallothionein and an acid phosphatase PhoN, surface-displayed on the cells of the extremophile, Deinococcus radiodurans. J Hazard Mater 419:126477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126477
Mohsin H, Shafique M, Zaid M, Rehman Y (2023) Microbial biochemical pathways of arsenic biotransformation and their application for bioremediation. Folia Microbiol 68(4):507–535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-023-01068-6
Mukhopadhyay R, Rosen BP, Phung LT, Silver S (2002) Microbial arsenic: from geocycles to genes and enzymes. FEMS Microbiol Rev 26(3):311–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2002.tb00617.x
Ordonez E, Letek M, Valbuena N, Gil JA, Mateos LM (2005) Analysis of genes involved in arsenic resistance in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032. Appl Environ Microbiol 71(10):6206–6215. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.71.10.6206-6215.2005
Paez-Espino D, Tamames J, de Lorenzo V, Canovas D (2009) Microbial responses to environmental arsenic. Biometals 22(1):117–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-008-9195-y
Paul D, Pandey G, Jain RK (2005) Suicidal genetically engineered microorganisms for bioremediation: need and perspectives. BioEssays 27(5):563–573. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.20220
Preetha JSY, Arun M, Vidya N, Kowsalya K, Halka J, Ondrasek G (2023) Biotechnology advances in bioremediation of arsenic: a review. Molecules. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031474
Preveral S, Brutesco C, Descamps ECT, Escoffier C, Pignol D, Ginet N, Garcia D (2017) A bioluminescent arsenite biosensor designed for inline water analyzer. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 24(1):25–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-6000-7
Prithivirajsingh S, Mishra SK, Mahadevan A (2001) Detection and analysis of chromosomal arsenic resistance in Pseudomonas fluorescens strain MSP3. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 280(5):1393–1401. https://doi.org/10.1006/bbrc.2001.4287
Rahman Z, Singh VP (2020) Bioremediation of toxic heavy metals (THMs) contaminated sites: concepts, applications and challenges. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 27(22):27563–27581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08903-0
Rosen BP (1999) Families of arsenic transporters. Trends Microbiol 7(5):207–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0966-842x(99)01494-8
Rosen BP, Liu Z (2009) Transport pathways for arsenic and selenium: a minireview. Environ Int 35(3):512–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2008.07.023
Rosenstein R, Peschel A, Wieland B, Gotz F (1992) Expression and regulation of the antimonite, arsenite, and arsenate resistance operon of Staphylococcus xylosus plasmid pSX267. J Bacteriol 174(11):3676–3683. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.174.11.3676-3683.1992
Saleem H, Ul Ain Kokab Q, Rehman Y (2019) Arsenic respiration and detoxification by purple non-sulphur bacteria under anaerobic conditions. C R Biol 342(3–4):101–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2019.02.001
Sanders OI, Rensing C, Kuroda M, Mitra B, Rosen BP (1997) Antimonite is accumulated by the glycerol facilitator GlpF in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 179(10):3365–3367. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.179.10.3365-3367.1997
Schonberger N, Zeitler C, Braun R, Lederer FL, Matys S, Pollmann K (2019) Directed evolution and engineering of gallium-binding phage clones-a preliminary study. Biomimetics. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4020035
Shakoor MB, Niazi NK, Bibi I, Shahid M, Saqib ZA, Nawaz MF, Shaheen SM, Wang H, Tsang DCW, Bundschuh J, Ok YS, Rinklebe J (2019) Exploring the arsenic removal potential of various biosorbents from water. Environ Int 123:567–579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.12.049
Sharma P, Asad S, Ali A (2013) Bioluminescent bioreporter for assessment of arsenic contamination in water samples of India. J Biosci 38(2):251–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-013-9305-z
Shen S, Li XF, Cullen WR, Weinfeld M, Le XC (2013) Arsenic binding to proteins. Chem Rev 113(10):7769–7792. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr300015c
Sher S, Rehman A (2019) Use of heavy metals resistant bacteria-a strategy for arsenic bioremediation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 103(15):6007–6021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-09933-6
Simeonova DD, Micheva K, Muller DA, Lagarde F, Lett MC, Groudeva VI, Lievremont D (2005) Arsenite oxidation in batch reactors with alginate-immobilized ULPAs1 strain. Biotechnol Bioeng 91(4):441–446. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.20530
Singh S, Mulchandani A, Chen W (2008) Highly selective and rapid arsenic removal by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli cells expressing Fucus vesiculosus metallothionein. Appl Environ Microbiol 74(9):2924–2927. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02871-07
Singh S, Kang SH, Lee W, Mulchandani A, Chen W (2010) Systematic engineering of phytochelatin synthesis and arsenic transport for enhanced arsenic accumulation in E. coli. Biotechnol Bioeng 105:780–785. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.22585
Song B, Chyun E, Jaffe PR, Ward BB (2009) Molecular methods to detect and monitor dissimilatory arsenate-respiring bacteria (DARB) in sediments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 68(1):108–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2009.00657.x
Sri Lakshmi Sunita M, Prashant S, Bramha Chari PV, Nageswara Rao S, Balaravi P, Kavi Kishor PB (2012) Molecular identification of arsenic-resistant estuarine bacteria and characterization of their ars genotype. Ecotoxicology 21(1):202–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-011-0779-x
Stocker J, Balluch D, Gsell M, Harms H, Feliciano J, Daunert S, Malik KA, van der Meer JR (2003) Development of a set of simple bacterial biosensors for quantitative and rapid measurements of arsenite and arsenate in potable water. Environ Sci Technol 37(20):4743–4750. https://doi.org/10.1021/es034258b
Suzuki K, Wakao N, Kimura T, Sakka K, Ohmiya K (1998) Expression and regulation of the arsenic resistance operon of Acidiphilium multivorum AIU 301 plasmid pKW301 in Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 64(2):411–418. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.64.2.411-418.1998
Thai TD, Lim W, Na D (2023) Synthetic bacteria for the detection and bioremediation of heavy metals. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 11:1178680. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1178680
Tisa LS, Rosen BP (1990) Molecular characterization of an anion pump. The ArsB protein is the membrane anchor for the ArsA protein. J Biol Chem 265:190–194
Trang PT, Berg M, Viet PH, Van Mui N, Van Der Meer JR (2005) Bacterial bioassay for rapid and accurate analysis of arsenic in highly variable groundwater samples. Environ Sci Technol 39(19):7625–7630. https://doi.org/10.1021/es050992e
Tsai SL, Singh S, Chen W (2009) Arsenic metabolism by microbes in nature and the impact on arsenic remediation. Curr Opin Biotechnol 20(6):659–667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2009.09.013
Valenzuela-Garcia LI, Alarcon-Herrera MT, Ayala-Garcia VM, Barraza-Salas M, Salas-Pacheco JM, Diaz-Valles JF, Pedraza-Reyes M (2023) Design of a whole-cell biosensor based on Bacillus subtilis spores and the green fluorescent protein to monitor arsenic. Microbiol Spectr 11(4):e0043223. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00432-23
Viacava K, Meibom KL, Ortega D, Dyer S, Gelb A, Falquet L, Minton NP, Mestrot A, Bernier-Latmani R (2020) Variability in arsenic methylation efficiency across aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Environ Sci Technol 54(22):14343–14351. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c03908
Wan X, Volpetti F, Petrova E, French C, Maerkl SJ, Wang B (2019) Cascaded amplifying circuits enable ultrasensitive cellular sensors for toxic metals. Nat Chem Biol 15(5):540–548. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-019-0244-3
Wang X, Zhu K, Chen D, Wang J, Wang X, Xu A, Wu L, Li L, Chen S (2021) Monitoring arsenic using genetically encoded biosensors in vitro: the role of evolved regulatory genes. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 207:111273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111273
Wu YF, Chen J, Xie WY, Peng C, Tang ST, Rosen BP, Kappler A, Zhang J, Zhao FJ (2023) Anoxygenic phototrophic arsenite oxidation by a Rhodobacter strain. Environ Microbiol 25(8):1538–1548. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16380
Xue Y, Qiu T, Sun Z, Liu F, Yu B (2022) Mercury bioremediation by engineered Pseudomonas putida KT2440 with adaptationally optimized biosecurity circuit. Environ Microbiol 24(7):3022–3036. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16038
Yan M, Zeng X, Wang J, Meharg AA, Meharg C, Tang X, Zhang L, Bai L, Zhang J, Su S (2020) Dissolved organic matter differentially influences arsenic methylation and volatilization in paddy soils. J Hazard Mater 388:121795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121795
Yang T, Liu JW, Gu C, Chen ML, Wang JH (2013) Expression of arsenic regulatory protein in Escherichia coli for selective accumulation of methylated arsenic species. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 5(7):2767–2772. https://doi.org/10.1021/am400578y
Yin S, Zhang X, Yin H, Zhang X (2022) Current knowledge on molecular mechanisms of microorganism-mediated bioremediation for arsenic contamination: a review. Microbiol Res 258:126990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2022.126990
Yoon Y, Kim S, Chae Y, Kim SW, Kang Y, An G, Jeong SW, An YJ (2016) Simultaneous detection of bioavailable arsenic and cadmium in contaminated soils using dual-sensing bioreporters. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100(8):3713–3722. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7338-6
Yuan AT, Stillman MJ (2023) Arsenic binding to human metallothionein-3. Chem Sci 14(21):5756–5767. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3sc00400g
Zargar K, Conrad A, Bernick DL, Lowe TM, Stolc V, Hoeft S, Oremland RS, Stolz J, Saltikov CW (2012) ArxA, a new clade of arsenite oxidase within the DMSO reductase family of molybdenum oxidoreductases. Environ Microbiol 14(7):1635–1645. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02722.x
Zegers I, Martins JC, Willem R, Wyns L, Messens J (2001) Arsenate reductase from S. aureus plasmid pI258 is a phosphatase drafted for redox duty. Nat Struct Biol 8(10):843–847. https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb1001-843
Zhang J, Cao T, Tang Z, Shen Q, Rosen BP, Zhao FJ (2015) Arsenic methylation and volatilization by arsenite S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase in Pseudomonas alcaligenes NBRC14159. Appl Environ Microbiol 81(8):2852–2860. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03804-14
Zhang NX, Guo Y, Li H, Yang XQ, Gao CX, Hui CY (2021) Versatile artificial mer operons in Escherichia coli towards whole cell biosensing and adsorption of mercury. PLoS ONE 16(5):e0252190. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252190
Zhang W, Miao AJ, Wang NX, Li C, Sha J, Jia J, Alessi DS, Yan B, Ok YS (2022) Arsenic bioaccumulation and biotransformation in aquatic organisms. Environ Int 163:107221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107221
Zhu DL, Guo Y, Ma BC, Lin YQ, Wang HJ, Gao CX, Liu MQ, Zhang NX, Luo H, Hui CY (2023) Pb(II)-inducible proviolacein biosynthesis enables a dual-color biosensor toward environmental lead. Front Microbiol 14:1218933. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1218933
Funding
This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82073517), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2023A1515011184), the Science and Technology Program of Shenzhen (JCYJ20230807151400002), Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline Construction Fund (SZXK068).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
CH, ML and YG wrote the article. CH prepared figures. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Hui, Cy., Liu, Mq. & Guo, Y. Synthetic bacteria designed using ars operons: a promising solution for arsenic biosensing and bioremediation. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 40, 192 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-024-04001-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-024-04001-2