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Hydroxy-Al and cell-surface negativity are responsible for the enhanced sensitivity of Rhodotorula taiwanensis to aluminum by increased medium pH

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Abstract

Aluminum (Al) is ubiquitous and toxic to microbes. High Al3+ concentration and low pH are two key factors responsible for Al toxicity, but our present results contradict this idea. Here, an Al-tolerant yeast strain Rhodotorula taiwanensis RS1 was incubated in glucose media containing Al with a continuous pH gradient from pH 3.1–4.2. The cells became more sensitive to Al and accumulated more Al when pH increased. Calculations using an electrostatic model Speciation Gouy Chapman Stern indicated that, the increased Al sensitivity of cells was associated with AlOH2+ and Al(OH) +2 rather than Al3+. The alcian blue (a positively charged dye) adsorption and zeta potential determination of cell surface indicated that, higher pH than 3.1 increased the negative charge and Al adsorption at the cell surface. Taken together, the enhanced sensitivity of R. taiwanensis RS1 to Al from pH 3.1–4.2 was associated with increased hydroxy-Al and cell-surface negativity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31672229, 41271257, and 41230855) and the National Key Basic Research Program of China (No. 2014CB441000). We thank Jian Zhou He for technical support in analyzing the cell-surface zeta potential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Xue Qiang Zhao, Xue Min Bao, Chao Wang, Zhen Min Hu, Chun Li Zheng & Ren Fang Shen

  2. School of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, 014010, Baotou, China

    Chun Li Zheng

  3. School of Environment and Energy, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, 014010, Baotou, China

    Xue Min Bao & Zuo Yi Xiao

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China

    Zhen Min Hu

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  1. Xue Qiang Zhao
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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Zhao, X.Q., Bao, X.M., Wang, C. et al. Hydroxy-Al and cell-surface negativity are responsible for the enhanced sensitivity of Rhodotorula taiwanensis to aluminum by increased medium pH. Arch Microbiol 199, 1185–1194 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-017-1387-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-017-1387-9

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